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[P785]Prostate Cancer And Radiation

by Jerry Ryan, Jer

I recently attended a meeting of physicians, surgeons, research scientists and concerned individuals for the Pacific Prostate Cancer Conference. Representatives of Oregon Health Sciences University spoke about their state-of-the-art prostate cancer research department. Every man reading this article can benefit from the advances made in prevention, detection and treatment of this disease.

Let's begin with a brief review of our anatomy. The prostate gland is located around the bottom portion of a man's bladder and is positioned behind the pubic bone and in front of the rectum. The prostate's primary function is to produce most of the fluids in semen. Tiny ducts within the prostate convey this fluid to the urethra, the channel that drains urine from the bladder. This fluid is then released through the penis during ejaculation.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. It's estimated that by age 50, up to 1 in 4 men have some cancerous cells in the prostate gland. By age 80, the ratio increases to 1 in 2. So, your risk of prostate cancer increases as you age. The average age at diagnosis is 72.

Prostate cancer also is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American men. Yet unlike other cancers, you're more likely to die with prostate cancer than you are to die from it. On average, an American man has about a 30 percent risk of having prostate cancer in his lifetime, but only about a 3 percent risk of dying of the disease.

The risk of prostate cancer is dramatically higher among blacks, intermediate among whites, and lowest among native Japanese. However, this increase in risk may be due to factors other than those associated with race. Studies have shown a link between levels of testosterone and prostate cancer risk, with black men having the highest levels.

Symptoms of prostate cancer include frequent urination, inability to urinate, blood in urine or semen, or painful ejaculation. Frequent low back pain, burning urination or a weak urine flow are also very common.

There is another condition of the prostate known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH. This is basically an enlarged prostate with no cancerous lesions. Symptoms for this condition are similar in many respects to prostate cancer. For example, Prostate-Specific Antigen or PSA levels can become elevated in both BPH and prostatic cancer.

Chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery are the three most common approaches to treatment of prostate cancer. The selection of which method is used depends largely upon the extent of the disease. With the surgical removal of the prostate, there is an increased risk of osteoporosis similar to that of menopause in women. This problem is most often handled by using hormone replacement therapy postoperatively. Calcium and Vitamin D supplements have also been shown to be helpful in reducing this type of bone loss.

Natural measures for the prevention of prostate cancer include chemoprevention, changes in diet and lifestyle, and hormonal prevention. Chemoprevention is the use of specific natural or man-made drugs, vitamins, or other agents in order to reverse, suppress, or prevent cancer growth. Several agents, including difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), isoflavonoids, selenium, vitamins D and E, and lycopene have shown potential benefit according to studies. Further tests are needed to confirm this.

The herb, saw palmetto, was once thought to be the best natural supplement for prevention of prostate cancer. Recent studies lead researchers to believe saw palmetto to be much less powerful in its preventive effect.

A diet high in fat, especially animal fat, may be associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. So, reducing red meat, cheese and other dairy products, salad dressings, and gravies is a good step. Increasing the dietary intake of fruits and vegetables has been associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer in some studies. Adding soy products such as tofu and soy milk can be helpful in regulating hormonal balance. Exercise, even just plain old walking, has been shown to reduce the incidence of prostate and of practically all other cancers.

Since prostate cancer has a link to testosterone levels, studies are underway to discover the role of certain drugs, such as finasteride, that reduce the amount of male hormone as preventive agents for prostate cancer.

If you think you have experienced any of the symptoms listed in this article, check with your health care provider. Early detection of prostate cancer is very important in managing its damaging effects.

It is important to know that there are a lot of risk factors for prostate cancer that we cannot control. The chances to develop prostate cancer are small in men under 50 years old, but after this age, the risk grows a lot. It was seen that there are races more affected than other: for example an African-American has an increased risk of prostate cancer.
The prostate cancer can appear due to genetic history as well. If a man in your family had had this disease, there are increased chances that you develop prostate cancer too.
There surely are a lot of unknown factors that lead to prostate cancer. It is very important to follow a lifestyle that will lower the chances to develop prostate cancer, and you will be also be able to avoid other diseases too.

Scientists think that there exists the possibility that obesity to affect levels of hormones related to prostate cancer risk. That is why, it is good to prevent obesity, and you can do that by doing physical exercises and following a healthy diet. It is important that you go to the doctor, he will advice you what to do, and together you will develop a plan for the physic activity.

It was seen that there are some drugs, vitamins or minerals that may lower the risk of prostate cancer, strategy known under the name of chemoprevention.
There was made a study involving the drug named finasteride, which is used to treat prostate enlargement, or benign prostatic hyperplasia, and the conclusion was that this drug can reduce the rates of prostate cancer by 25 percent. But it was seen that the men who took finasteride were more predisposed to experience loss of sexual desire, impotence or breast enlargement than those who took a placebo. It was also seen that the men that developed prostate cancer while using finasteride had aggressive forms of the disease. The reasons why that thing happened are not known yet.
There is another drug that seems to prevent the prostate cancer, its name is duasteride, but studies that have the purpose to confirm this finding are not ready yet.
Some other drugs that might prevent prostate cancer are the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These drugs have the role to inhibit the COX-2 enzyme, which is found in prostate cancer cells. In this category of drugs, we can mention ibuprofen and naproxen. In what concern these nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, more studies must be performed, in order to determine exactly the role they have on prostate cancer.

It was discovered that soybeans and other legumes contain phytoestrogens, chemicals that may help prevent prostate cancer. The scientists don't know yet how phytoestrogens could produce this effect.
Tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon are rich in lycopene, and this substance acts like an antioxidant, and it lowers the cancer risk.
Taking daily doses of mineral selenium, vitamin E, or a combination between them may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. There are studies in progress, researchers are trying to find out exactly which are the effects of these substances.

It is known that prostate cancer is the most cause of death in men, after the lung cancer.
It affects many men, but a small percentage of them dies because of the disease. This type of cancer is the most slowly- progressive from all the other types of cancer.

It is good to talk with your doctor about the risks and how you can lower them, to follow a healthy diet, and to take physical exercises. But it is also important not to take herbal medicines, drugs, or nutritional supplements without medical guidance, because there may appear some risks.

Article Source : Pg. 29

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Both Jerry Ryan & Groshan Fabiola are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Jerry Ryan has sinced written about articles on various topics from Alternative Medicine, Types of Cancer. . Jerry Ryan's top article generates over 1000 views. to your Favourites.

Groshan Fabiola has sinced written about articles on various topics from Woman Menopause, Medical Condition and Health. For more information about and about. Groshan Fabiola's top article generates over 6120000 views. to your Favourites.