Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer (prostate cancer) is the second most common cancer in men after skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer.
The prostate is a male sex gland. It is a small gland (about the size of a walnut) and serves to produce seminal fluid, which forms part of semen or sperm. It is located above the rectum and below the urinary bladder. The prostate surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis as a kind of "float" at the point where the urethra connects the bladder. Therefore, when the prostate grows, there is difficulty when urinating or during sex.
Prostate cancer occurs most often in older men. The prostate continues to grow during most of the life of a man, so it is very commonly present after 60 years a harmless condition called prostatic "enlarged" or benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), much more common than cancer prostate. Many of the signs and symptoms of BPH are the same as prostate cancer.
As with many types of cancer, early detection and treatment increase the prospects of cure. In addition, prostate cancer is a type of cancer that grows slowly. When developing the very end of life, as is often the case, the impact of the disease may be minimal. In fact, many men with prostate cancer eventually die of causes unrelated to the cancer itself.
In its most initial stage, prostate cancer may produce no signs or symptoms. As the tumor grows, may be noticed certain signs or symptoms, including:
- Difficulty with start or end of urination
- Reduced force of urinary stream.
- Dribbling at end of urination.
- Painful or burning urination
- Urinate a small amount each time and often, especially at night.
- Painful ejaculation
- Blood in urine
- Inability to urinate
- Continuing pain in lower back, pelvis, or upper thighs.
|
