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Basic Cancer Knowledge
First cancer were found in Egyptian and pre columbian mumies about 5,000 to 2,400 years ago. They were documented in ancient medical writing, written in papyrus 3,500 years ago. Nowadays, the reason behind cancer still not clearly understood. Scientist believe that cancer is the cell which grow rapidly than normal, assume abnormal shapes and sizes.
Cancer Worldwide Affects! And The Natural Treatments
There was a movie in the 1990's called 'The Medicine Man', where a scientist discovers the cure for cancer; whilst it still continues to kill people, it is not always the death sentence it once was. Think about that for a moment; can you even imagine the impact this would have on our world if the suffering of so many people could be put to an end?
Can Cancer Be Prevented And Cured?
While the answer to the question regarding the cure for cancer remains not guaranteed even by the experts, there are still ways that this second deadliest disease can be prevented. After all, prevention is supposed to be better than the cure, right?
The prostate is a gland. It helps make semen, the fluid that contains sperm. The prostate surrounds the tube that carries urine away from the bladder and out of the body. A young man's prostate is about the size of a walnut. It slowly grows larger with age. If it gets too large, it can cause problems. This is very common after age 50. The older men get, the more likely they are to have prostate trouble.
Prostate cancer is an abnormal, uncontrolled growth of cells that results in the formation of a tumor in the prostate gland. Prostate, the walnut sized gland, is a part of the reproductive system which lies deep in the pelvis. It is located in front of the rectum and underneath the urinary bladder and surrounds the urethra, (the urine tube running from the bladder, through the prostate and the penis). It contains gland cells that produce some of the seminal fluid, which protects and nourishes sperm cells in semen and supports the ejaculatory ducts, or sperm tubes. The prostate continues to grow till a man reaches adulthood and is maintained after it reaches normal size as long as male hormones are produced.
The growth of prostate cells and the way the prostate gland works is dependent on the male sex hormone, testosterone, which is produced in the testicles.
Prostate cancer develops most frequently in men over fifty. This cancer can occur only in men, as the prostate is exclusively of the male reproductive tract. It is the most common type of cancer in men in the United States, where it is responsible for more male deaths than any other cancer, except lung cancer. However, many men who develop prostate cancer never have symptoms, undergo no therapy, and eventually die of other causes. Many factors, including genetics and diet, have been implicated in the development of prostate cancer.
NHL (Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) is yet another common form of cancer. This refers to a the growth of a large group of cancers that affect the immunity system. The symptoms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are those of fever and weight loss, a sure sign that the immunity system has been affected. This is a cancer that can affect any age group, and its treatment is completely dependent on the stage of detection of the cancer.
Prostate cancer usually grows slowly and initially remains confined to the prostate gland, where it may not cause serious harm. While some types of prostate cancer grow slowly and may need minimal or no treatment, other types are aggressive and can spread quickly. If prostate cancer is detected early — when it's still confined to the prostate gland — you have a better chance of successful treatment.
Prostate cancer is found mainly in older men. As men age, the prostate may get bigger and block the urethra or bladder. This may cause difficulty in urination or can interfere with sexual function. The condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and although it is not cancer, surgery may be needed to correct it. The symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia or of other problems in the prostate may be similar to symptoms of prostate cancer.
Radical prostatectomy is a surgery to remove the whole prostate gland and the nearby lymph nodes. Most men who have this surgery are under general anesthesia (puts you into a sleep-like state). After the prostate gland is taken out, a catheter (a narrow rubber tube) is put through the penis into the bladder to carry urine out of the body until the area heals.
Prostate Cancer Treatments Are on the Forefront of Technology
Technology is amazing and it's life changing in more ways than can be counted. For one, there is the internet that gives you access to information all over the world and has opened up your avenue for research into the other areas of technology available. For some, especially those with life threatening diseases, it is a blessing and a curse. Someone once said ignorance is bliss. Is it? Is it bliss to not know all of the options for someone with prostate cancer? Without technology would you know that one technological option for prostate cancer is a robotic prostatectomy?
You may be wondering why a robot is better than a surgeon. The answer is simple, it's not by itself. The surgeon uses the robot as an assistant. The da Vinci robot doesn't act alone in the surgery, it dramatically magnifies the view of the surgical area and offers incredibly precise movements which decreases the likelihood of damaging delicate nerves and tissues of the surrounding areas. With a robot the doctor can make smaller incisions, reducing the blood loss, the pain, the possibility of infection and scarring. This leads to less recovery time and a better quality of life. If you are in the Illinois area, you can find this marvelous technology at one of the top 10 hospitals in llinois at Riverside. There the urologists are training surgeons about the da Vinci prostatectomy and the tools involved. It's a wonderful program and a fantastic use of technology.
This program is leading the way for less intrusive and greater recovery time for this type of surgery. If you are not familiar with prostate cancer, it is a disease in which malignant cells form in the prostate. This gland is in the male's reproductive system and surrounds the urethra. It's about the size of a walnut and produces the fluid that makes up part of the semen. With approximately sixteen percent of the male populations probability of getting diagnosed with prostate cancer, greater public awareness and early detection are leading the way to mortality rates declining.
With these new prostate cancer treatments the quality of life is also improving for those who survive. Along with a shorter recovery time the patient gets back to normal activities. With the ability to perform more precise surgical procedures with the da Vinci robot the surgeon is able to make much more precise surgical procedures within the operative site. The system cannot be programmed and cannot make decisions. It is truly just an extension of the surgeon, a much more precise extension at that. The system scales, filters and translates the surgeon's movements into precise movements of a micro-instrument, making the surgery less risky and more exact.
If you're are planning to have a prostatectomy in any hospitals in Chicago area be sure to have them check out what is being offered at Riverside Health Care. It is well worth the time to research your options; it's so easy with technology today.
The Connection Between Gleason Scores and Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in American men, other than skin cancer, with an estimated 218,890 discovered cases in the United States during 2007 alone. If you or someone you know is diagnosed, understanding the relationship between Gleason scores and prostate cancer can help you comprehend the prognosis and decide on the best treatment options.
A Gleason score is the near-standard rating that pathologists use to grade the severity of prostate cancer. After taking a biopsy or a small piece of the cancerous prostate, a Gleason grade, ranging from from 1 to 5, is assigned to a patient's cancer after examining how closely cells contained in the cancerous tissue resemble normal prostate tissue cells.
Cancerous cells that closely resemble normal prostate tissue receive a Gleason score of 1. If the cancer cells differ significantly from normal cells -- that is, they seem to appear randomly throughout the prostate -- they will be given a grade 5 in the Gleason system. Gleason scores of 2 through 4 have varying degrees of similarity to cancer cells.
Prostate cancers frequently show up in several areas, each with a different Gleason grade. If the cancer affects the majority of two areas, for example, the two grades are combined for a cumulative Gleason score. This also called the Gleason sum, which ranges between 2 and 10.
The higher the Gleason score, the more likely it is that the cancer will grow and spread quickly, which is why overcoming prostate cancer is largely attributed to early discovery, as well as understanding the warning signs, symptoms and risks.
Some statistics indicate that the survival rate of prostate cancer can be as high as 98 percent if the disease is caught in its early stages. But, how can one go about ensuring their prostate cancer gets diagnosed in time? Even with regular prostate screenings, the tumors have to be big enough to be noticeable. Well, you might not be able to catch prostate cancer at Stage 1, but if you pay attention to your body and let your doctor aware of anything unusual during your check-ups, you increase your chances of catching it as it goes into Stage 2. To appropriately do this, you need to be aware of the 5 early symptoms of prostate cancer. They are explained in greater detail below.
1. Urinary Difficulties
The first symptoms of prostate cancer are urinary difficulties. You may be wondering why urinary difficulties in this list of prostate cancer symptoms if the bladder is not the prostate gland? It's simple; as the tumors grow they press up against the organ, which is still very close to the prostate. When this happens a man will experience incontinence, trouble urinating at all, (despite incontinence) and a very low urine flow.
2. The Presence of Blood
Symptom 2 s even more alarming than urinary incontinence. It involves the presence of blood in a man's urine and/or semen.
3. Erectile Dysfunction
Of the symptoms listed in the here, erectile dysfunction makes the most sense, since the prostate gland is a sexual organ. However, erectile dysfunction is such a common problem among older men, they may not even suspect prostate cancer. They may think they are experiencing a psychological problem, or perhaps that they just need a dose of Viagra. Either way, it's not worth the risk. If you are experiencing erectile dysfunction, discuss it with your doctor to make sure prostate cancer can be fully ruled out.
4. Swelling in the Legs
How can swelling in the legs be on the list of the 5 early symptoms of prostate cancer? It's because when the disease starts to metastasize, it will spread into the lymph nodes. As a consequence the unhealthy lymph nodes will start to accumulate in the legs, resulting in swelling.
5. Pelvic Discomfort
Pelvic discomfort is on the list of the symptoms of prostate cancer because when the disease affects the lymph nodes, it can cause them to press up against the nerves in the pelvis, resulting in pain.
In conclusion, pay attention to the list of the 5 early symptoms of prostate cancer. If you are experiencing any of them, discuss the situation with your doctor. If he or she suspects you have prostate cancer, they will perform a series of tests including a general rectal exam, an ultrasound and blood tests. Should a tumor be found, they perform a biopsy to determine if it is prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is a very common disease among males in the United State. If skin cancer is excluded, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men living in the United States. Prostate cancer may have much variation in the stage and extend of disease at presentation and in many people the cancer might linger for a long period of time without causing any significant problems to the person. Because of this reason, number of men who would die from prostate cancer is much smaller than the number of men who would be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
There are several factors that might increase the risk of developing prostate cancer and by modifying some of these factors it might be possible to decrease the risk of this disease in some people. Also some attempts at modification of the external environment may also reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.
Chemoprevention: The term chemoprevention is generally referred to the use of synthetic drugs, vitamins, or other agents to prevent the development of a cancer. Several drugs have shown potential benefits as prostate cancer prevention agents. These drugs are still in early stages of clinical trials and much more studies are required to authoritative state that these drugs indeed prevent the development of prostate cancer. Some of the drugs which are in active clinical trial for prevention of prostate cancer include, difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), isoflavonoids, selinum, vitamin D, vitamin E and lycopene.
Changes in diet and life-style: Diets rich in animal fats might increase the risk of developing prostate cancer, so theoretically decreasing the amount of animal fat in the diet might decrease the risk of developing prostate cancer. Active clinical trials are ongoing focusing on the issues of dietary modification as a way of prostate cancer prevention. Some of the ongoing studies might answer the question if food low in animal fats and high in fruits and vegetables would ultimately decrease the risk of prostate cancer. Some recent studies have shown that dietary products and diets rich in calcium might increase the risk of developing prostate cancer. Future studies may answer the question with regard to benefit of dietary modification in the context of prostate cancer.
Hormonal prevention: Prostate cancer is treated with suppression of male hormone testosterone. In theory drugs that would cause a decrease in the testosterone levels might decrease the risk of prostate cancer development. Studies are undergoing using some of the male hormone blocking drugs to see if this strategy would be effective in prostate cancer prevention. An example of one such drug is finasteride, which causes a decrease in the amount of male hormone (testosterone) produced by the body.
In summary there are several strategies that might be effectively used to prevent the development of prostate cancer. Some of these strategies are more promising than other ones and only more work and research would ultimately show us, which of these strategies are better and if so if these strategies could be used in combination.
