Prostate is a part of the men’s reproductive system beside the penis and testicles. Prostate is a small gland, size of a walnut that is located deep inside the groin and surrounds the tube fixated to the bladder known as the urethra. It is located between the base of the penis and rectum. It plays a great role in sperm viability and motility by supplying seminal fluid or semen and mixed with sperm from the testes. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in male. Casodex 50 mg is a common drug used to help treat prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is a common cancer in men, next to skin and lung cancers. It is estimated that 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in life. It is usually diagnosed in men aged 65 and above. Symptoms of prostate cancer may or may not be experienced by a person. Common symptoms include difficulty passing urine, feeling discomfort when passing urine, presence of blood in urine or semen, increased urination frequency especially at night time, having trouble to completely emptying the bladder, unintentional weight loss and pain in bones especially at the back, hips or pelvis (waist) area. Due to the nature of the symptoms that may resemble other medical conditions, it is best for a patient to get checked by a doctor if any of the above symptoms is experienced. This helps to detect prostate cancer in an early stage and receive early medical care.
When a person is confirmed to have prostate cancer, it can be very upsetting for the person and at times it does feel like the end of them. However, prostate cancer is quite different from typical cancer. This is because the survival rate for those with prostate cancer approximately 5 years after being diagnosed with the cancer is 85% and almost 80% of those diagnosed with prostate cancer live for more than 10 years.
Such a survival rate is backed by the nature of the disease itself. Prostate cancer surprisingly is a slow-growing type of cancer which means there is more time and chance for men to get treatment early on. This is why it is important for those with symptoms of prostate cancer to get checked as there is a lot of chance to detect it earlier. Knowing the fact that survival rate is high even after being diagnosed with prostate cancer and the nature of the disease itself, patients should not panic and be overly worried as long as they get treatment and follow doctor’s advice.
Some might wonder if prostate cancer is very curable. Yes, prostate cancer is typically very curable especially when it is detected in an early stage and treated promptly. The slow nature of the cancer does make it easy for prostate cancer to be detected in an early stage. As a matter of fact, 90% of prostate cancers are discovered at an early stage. It is worth noting that prostate cancer might not be curable when it is spread to other parts of the body or also known as metastasis. Since prostate cancer, just as with other cancers, is individualised cases, it is best for patients to have thorough discussion with their doctor as the outcomes often depend on the stage of the cancer when it is diagnosed.
Staging of prostate cancer is based on the size of the cancer and if the cancer has spread or not. Stage 1 means the cancer is in only half of one side of the prostate or less and stage 2 means the cancer is in more than half of one side of the prostate. Both stage 1 and stage 2 are still completely contained within the prostate gland. Stage 3 means the cancer has broken through the covering of the prostate gland and may have spread into tubes that carry semen. Stage 4 can mean the cancer has spread to nearby body organs such as bladder, nearby lymph nodes or other parts of the body outside the pelvis such as lungs or liver. While survival rate for prostate cancer is generally high, those with stage 4 only have around 50% of surviving within 5 years or more after diagnosis.
There are a number of treatments available which range from surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. It is common to see treatments in combination. Treatments will always depend on the staging of the prostate cancer and the condition of the patient such as other health problems they might be having.
In essence, prostate cancer is often seen as a serious disease but it is less likely for men to die from it unless it is in advanced stages. It is highly curable when it is detected early and treated early. Patients with prostate cancer need to follow a treatment plan as recommended by the doctor to be able to get better and have a fulfilling life. No complementary or alternative treatment that can cure prostate cancer but these kinds of treatment can actually help patients to cope better. Patients should always discuss with their healthcare provider if they are thinking of complementary or alternative treatment to be used on top of what doctors have recommended.
