Common Cancers Affecting Men: Prostate Cancer June 18
In observance of the National Men’s Health Week, we shared several points about men’s health, including breast cancer in men and testicular cancer. For today, let us talk about the most common cancer affecting men – prostate cancer.
Although this is rather rare in men under 50 years old, prostate cancer remains to be the leading cancer affecting men in the Western world. Unlike most other cancers, prostate cancer develops slowly and does not exhibit any symptom until it has reached a certain stage. It is thus important that men undergo early detection tests to determine the disease before it progresses.
Diagnostic tests for prostate cancer includes rectal examination, PSA blood test, biopsy and bone scan. Your doctor will most probably use a combination of these tests to get a more conclusive result.
Aside from age, men should also watch for other known risk factors, like family history, race and environment. Men with a father or a brother who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer are more likely to suffer from the disease as well. African-American men display the highest tendency to develop prostate cancer while Asian men exhibit lower rates. Obesity, high fat diet and exposure to radioactivity are believed to also have effects on the development of prostate cancer.
As previously mentioned, prostate cancer symptoms do not reveal themselves until the cancer has already progressed. In some cases, patients do not feel any symptom at all. However, it is still important to know these symptoms and to watch out for them. Symptoms may include frequent urination, difficulty in urination (whether starting or stopping it), painful urination, painful ejaculation, blood in urine or semen, and stiffness in the lower back, hips or pelvis.
Tags: prostate cancer, prostate cancer screening, prostate cancer test, prostate cancer treatment, prostate specific antigen, PSA test