Prostate Cancer Symptoms, Causes, and Risk Factors

16 May

Cancer Studies > Prostate Cancer > Prostate Cancer Symptoms, Causes, and Risk Factors

Prostate cancer is a cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Prostate cancer is pain, difficulty urinating, problems during intercourse or erectile dysfunction. The presence of prostate cancer can be indicated by symptoms, physical examination, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), or biopsy.
cancer prostate

Suspected prostate cancer is typically confirmed by taking a biopsy of the prostate and examining it under a microscope. Treatment options for prostate cancer with intent to cure are primarily surgery and radiotherapy. Early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms. Prostate cancer is associated with urinary dysfunction as the prostate surrounding the prostatic urethra. Advanced prostate cancer can spread to other parts of the body, possibly causing additional symptoms.

Prostate cancer is cancer of the small walnut-shaped gland in men that produces seminal fluid, the fluid that nourishes and transports sperm. Prostate cancer usually grows slowly and initially remains confined to the prostate, where it can not cause serious damage. What are the causes of prostate cancer and why some species behave differently are unknown.

Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer usually does not produce noticeable symptoms at an early stage; so many cases of prostate cancer are not detected until the cancer has spread outside the prostate. For most men prostate cancer is first detected during a routine examination as a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test or digital rectal exam (DRE).

When signs and symptoms occur, they depend on how advanced the cancer is and how far the cancer has spread.

Early signs and symptoms of prostate cancer can include urinary problems caused by the prostate tumor presses on the bladder or the tube that urine from the bladder (urethra) bears. However, urinary symptoms are much more commonly caused by benign prostate problems, such as an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia) or prostate infections. Less than 5 percent of cases of prostate cancer have urinary problems as the first symptom.

Cancer in your prostate or the area around the prostate can cause:

Blood in the urine
Blood in your semen

Prostate cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes in the pelvis may cause:

Swelling in your legs
Discomfort in the pelvic area

Advanced prostate cancer that has spread to your bones can lead to:

Bone pain, not to leave
Fractures
Compression of the spine

Causes of Prostate Cancer

The specific causes of prostate cancer remain unknown. Risk of a man developing prostate cancer is related to his age, genetics, race, diet, lifestyle, medications and other factors. Prostate cancer is uncommon in men younger than 45, but is more common with age. The average age at diagnosis is 70. However, many men never know they have prostate cancer. Autopsy studies of Chinese, are German, Israeli, Jamaican, Swedish, and Ugandan men who died of other causes found prostate cancer in thirty percent of the men in their 50s, and in eighty percent of the men in their 70s. In the year 2005 in the United States, there were an estimated 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer and 30,000 deaths due to prostate cancer.

Risk Factors of Prostate Cancer

Knowledge of risk factors for prostate cancer can help you determine if and when you want to begin prostate cancer screening. The main risk factors are:

Age. After the age of 50 years, your risk of prostate cancer increases.
Race or ethnicity. For reasons not well understood, black men have a higher risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer.
Family History. Diet. A high-fat diet and obesity may increase the risk of prostate cancer. One theory is that fat increases production of the hormone testosterone, which can promote development of prostate cancer cells.
High testosterone levels. Because testosterone naturally stimulates the growth of the prostate, men who use testosterone therapy more likely to develop prostate cancer than men who lower levels of testosterone. Even doctors are concerned that testosterone therapies the growth of prostate cancer already presents fuel. Long term testosterone treatment could also cause prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia).

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