Early Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is usually found in African American men and men over 70. Some of the risk factors for prostate cancer are uncontrolled consumption of alcohol; leading an inactive lifestyle, heavy metal exposure (for example cadmium), a diet high in saturated fat, smoking, family history, certain races (African American).

What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is cancer in a gland (otherwise known as adenocarcinoma) in the prostate which is a gland in the male sexual organs. The main risk for this cancer is age. Men over 70 are most likely to get prostate cancer. There is also a genetic link and therefore family history is also a concern in addition to those with a diet that is higher in fat. So men with these risk factors need to make sure that they are seen and checked on a regular basis. This is especially important since early symptoms of prostate cancer are rare and might the cancer might not be detected until it has spread to other organs in the body and then more drastic measures would need to be taken.

Most of the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer can be confused with other disorders so any urinary tract problems or back or upper leg pain need to be discussed with a doctor immediately. Some of the symptoms of prostate cancer are lower back pain and stiffness, this pain and stiffness can also be found in the thighs, hips and pelvic areas. In addition there are difficulties in the urinary tract in addition to sexual difficulties like pain and blood in the ejaculate or urine.

Signs and symptoms of prostate cancer
Determining prostate cancer by signs and symptoms alone is difficult because they are similar to other prostate disorders and therefore other tests such as a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen, usually higher in those with cancer) and a DRE (Digital Rectal Exam) definitely will need to be carried out in order to definitely confirm cancer. However these are the usual symptoms of prostate cancer:

1. Difficulty urinating.
2. Pain or burning sensation when urinating
3. Frequent urination
4. Interrupted flow or weak flow of urination
5. Blood in semen or in the urine
6. Pain upon ejaculation
7. Difficulty starting urination or holding it in.
8. Pain in thighs, lower back, pelvic areas, or hips

Symptoms like pain in other areas than the groin or prostate area are an indication that the cancer has already spread to nearby areas such as the lymph nodes, bones, or other areas of the body. This symptom alone is a very serious one and you should see a doctor immediately should you experience this symptom.

Of course as noted earlier, these are also symptoms of other benign growths of the prostate, but still need to be checked by a doctor no matter what the cause.

Treatment
Upon further examination should these symptoms indicate advanced stages of cancer, and then there is little a doctor can do. They can remove all the cancer that they can find and give the patient a little more time. However, if caught early enough then there are several options either used separately or in conjunction that can be used to eliminate the cancer completely and thus lengthen a man’s life.

Surgery: Radical Prostatectomy, which is a complete removal of all of the prostate and nearby tissue that could also have been affected. In addition there is a type of surgery that is used to allow enough nerve tissue so that erections remain possible and thus not terminate the sexual life of the person involved.

Radiation: This entails using either an external beam of radiation upon the prostate or implantation of a radioactive seed in the prostate by way of a needle. These are generally outpatient surgeries.

Observation-This approach is often used if the man with early prostate cancer and is elderly or has other medical conditions. The doctor will give regular exams and will wait and observe and unless there are obvious changes then nothing will be done immediately. Again, this is usually done if there is no immediate danger to the patient.

Choosing a treatment
This is done by discussing with the patient, one or several doctors, and the family. Each procedure and the side effects along with what benefits can be expected are discussed and a choice is made based upon the best results with the least amount of negative aspects. This can be a difficult, but necessary choice for all involved.