Understanding the Importance of Prostate Health

Middle aged men

By: Dominique DiVece

Time can be on your side…….

What is your Prostate Gland?

o Your prostate is a small gland that is a big as a walnut.

o Primary function is to produce fluid that nourishes and transports semen for ejaculation.

o Your prostate grows a lot during puberty and stays around the same size until age 40 when it begins to slowly grow again and doesn’t stop!

o Most men are not bothered by their growing prostate however, some are.

Warning Sign That there is a Problem

Frequent urge to urinate

Blood in urine or semen

Painful or burning urination

Difficulty urinating

Difficulty having an erection

Continued warning signs

Painful ejaculation

Frequent pain or stiffness in lower back

Inability to urinate

Dribbling of the urine

Seek Medical Attention

If symptoms arise meet with your doctor ASAP

Prostate check around 50 years old

Consulting with your doctor may be embarrassing but it can save your life !

What to expect….

Digital rectal Exam (DRE)› painless› Quick › Checks the surface of the

prostate Blood Test (PSA)

› more effective› Finds cancer the DRE may

not detect

Four Major Prostate Diseases

Acute Prostatitis

Chronic Prostatitis

Benign prostatic hyperplasia

Prostate Cancer

Acute ProstatitisThe inflammation of the prostate cause by infection

Symptoms: Chills Fever Pain in lower back Pain between legs Painful urination

How to cure Acute Prostatitis

The doctor will prescribe you antibiotics to help cure your infection

Doctor may also suggest that you drink a lot of fluids

Chronic ProstatitisInfection continues to return

Most common Prostatitis

Symptoms may be milder but last longer

Can be hard to treat

Anitbiotics may or may not work depending on what causes the infection

Warm baths may help with pain

Clears up its self

Benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)

Enlarged Prostate

Starts in men at age 30 however symtoms don’t show until around age 50

Prostate gland grows in size and presses on the urethra

Which can cause urine to back up in the bladder

Symptoms of BHP

Blood in the urine

Feeling as through bladder has not fully emptied after urination

Frequent urination especially at night

Decrease in force of urine steam

Pushing or straining to begin urine flow

Recurrent, sudden, or urgent need to urinate.

Is there a cure for BPH

There is no cure for BPH once prostate growth has started it normally continues unless medical therapy is started

Prostate Cancer

One of the most common types of cancer among American men!

WHAT IS PROSTATE CANCER??

A tumor that consist of cells from the prostate gland

Grows slowly confined to the gland for years

However the spread of it is possible if detection is not found early

Prostate Cancer

WHAT CAUSES IT AND WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS?

There is no specific cause of prostate cancer

Risk factors include:- advancing age-genetics-hormonal influences- environmental factors

-toxins-chemicals-industrial products

Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

Not apparent

Found in blood test

Tumor detected through

DRE

Urine flow diminishes

Burning with urination

Blood in urinePainful

obstruction of the bladder

Early stages of Cancer

Later stages of Cancer

How is cancer Diagnosed

If blood test and the rectal exam are both abnormal a biopsy of the prostate would be taken

They take samples of two different types of tissue on the prostate.

Pathologist then grade each tissue on a scale of 1-5 Called Gleason score

ScaleIs based on microscopic characteristics of the cancerous cells and reflects how aggressive

the tumor is

Gleason Scores

2-4 LowSlow Growing

5-6 IntermediateIntermediate

aggressiveness

7-10 HighRapidly

growing tumor

Treatment OptionsThe treatment options depends on your age, health status and whether or not the tumor has spread!

WATCHFUL WAITING

RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY

EXTERNAL (BEAM) RADIATION THERAPY

INTERNAL RADIATION THERAPY

HORMONE THERAPY

Watchful Waiting

If you choose the watchful waiting option you are basically doing just that… you are monitoring your cancer and waiting for the tumor to get bigger.

If the tumor gets bigger than you can decide what action to take from there

Risk Factors and Statistics

Risk Factors Statistic

• Incontinence (loss of bladder control)

• Impotence (loss of the ability to get or maintain

an erection)

However each of these of problems improves with

time

• 35% of men have some accidental leakage of urine

during heavy lifting coughing or

laughing.

• if your under 50 your chances of

erectile dysfunction are slimmer then if your 70 and over.

RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY

•This option is for those who are young and in good health

•The most certain treatment if all the cancer is removed during surgery than you are cured.

•Doctor is able to see easily if cancer has spread due to near by lymph nodes that are taken out during surgery.

EXTERNAL (BEAM) RADIATION THERAPY

• given to patient through a machine that resembles an x-ray machine

• Takes about 10 minutes a day for 5 days a week for 6-8 weeks

• no anesthesia

• Side effects of this treatment are mild

• Low occurrence of urinary side effects

• 2% of men that take part in this procedure experience severe incontinence

Internal Radiation Therapy

• must go under anathema

•Small rice like radioactive seeds are implanted into the prostate

•Inserted in the skin between the scrotum and the anus

•Test are taken before procedure that tell the doctors exactly where to implant the radioactive seeds

•Seeds give of levels of radiation

•Men are advised to stay away from small children and pregnant women depending on the level of radiation given of

Hormone Therapy

•Reduce androgens in the body

•Androgens in the testes stimulate cancer to grow

•Lower levels make the tumor shrink

•Many types of hormone therapy if surgery and radiation are not possible.

To Get More Information about Prostate Health

http://www.prostatehealthguide.com/

http://www.pcf.org