Prostate Cancer Protocols

A lot of men have questions about prostate health. Many know someone who suffers from prostate cancer or are worried that they might develop it. As experts in medical care, we want to help shed some light on prostate cancer, explain exactly what it is and help people understand what to expect both from the diagnosis and its treatment process.

What is Prostate Cancer?

Like all cancers, prostate cancer is an abnormal growth of cells. It occurs in the prostate gland, which helps men to produce seminal fluid. Symptoms vary, but often include pain or difficulty with urinating, pain in the pelvis and bloody urine.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. Roughly one in nine men will suffer from it at some point during their lives. The majority of cases occur in older men, with about sixty percent of cases occurring in men who are at least 65 years old.

It does have the potential to be lethal, with roughly one out of every 41 cases being fatal. Men who catch the disease promptly and seek treatment have fairly good odds of survival. That is why we encourage all men to familiarize themselves with the treatment and screening options.

Treatment Options

There are several ways to treat prostate cancer. They all have their own advantages and disadvantages, so doctors weigh the options based on the details of each unique case. The stage of the cancer is one of the most important, but the patient’s age and health history are also relevant to the treatment options available.

The first option is active surveillance. Doctors simply keep an eye on the cancer with regular testing and examinations instead of trying to remove it. This is a good option for minor cases that aren’t causing any symptoms and are unlikely to turn into a larger problem.

Many cancers do require stronger intervention. Surgery is a common choice in those cases. The doctor removes the prostate gland and some of the tissue surrounding it to get rid of the cancer. Other situations might call for killing the cancer cells with radiation.