Prostate Cancer Information

By Alex Fir
www.cancer-data.com
Prostate Cancer Information

In this year, around 234,500 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the US. In 2007, approximately 27,300 men will die from prostate cancer in the US alone. One in every 8 Canadian men will develop the disease, and one in 3 will die from it.

Every man is at risk for prostate cancer. Black men have about a 60% higher incidence rate of prostate cancer than white men, and almost a two-fold higher mortality rate than white men.

Men most at risk include:

- Men over age 40
- North American and European origin
- Diets with a high fat intake
- History of the disease in the family.

The disease takes a long time to develop, and can be easily treated, if detected in its early stages.

Prostate cancer can take up to eight to ten years to spread and become life threatening.

There are no specific prostate cancer symptoms, but some potential signs include:

- Frequent, difficult and painful urination
- Blood or pus in the urine
- Pain the in the lower back, pelvic area, or upper thighs
- Painful ejaculation

When speaking about medical options, doctors typically offer patients two choices: radiation therapy or surgery to remove prostate gland.

Studies show that that adding the following to your diet can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer:

- Vitamin E
- Vitamin C
- Tomato juice
- Selenium
- Garlic

Here are 5 foods that can help prevent prostate cancer:

1. Black, pinto, small red and kidney beans.
2. Tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit
3. Sweet potatoes, carrots and cantaloupe
4. Broccoli, kale and cauliflower.
5. Soy milk.

Prolong Your Life -- Get Checked For Prostate Cancer Now

By Helen Hecker
www.bestprostatehealthtips.com

Men, who are younger than 40, are rarely ever diagnosed with prostate cancer. The male hormone testosterone contributes to the growth of cancer. About 80 percent of men who reach the age of 80 have prostate cancer. It's estimated that approximately 234,460 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, and approximately 27,350 will die of the disease.

Prostate cancer is deadly but can be cured if it's caught early enough. If you have prostate cancer, are concerned about getting it, or if you're looking out for the health of someone you love, this article can help.

Because prostate cancer symptoms can mimic other diseases or disorders, men who experience any of these symptoms should undergo a thorough work-up to determine the underlying cause of the symptoms. There are several symptoms to be aware of. Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease are bone pain or tenderness, and abdominal pain.

If cancer is caught at its earliest stages, most men will not experience any symptoms. Blood in the urine or semen and frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs are often symptoms of cancer. Weak or interrupted flow of urine and painful or burning urination can be symptoms to watch out for.

There is a newer test called AMACR that is more sensitive than the PSA test for determining the presence of prostate cancer. The decision about whether to pursue a PSA test should be based on a discussion between you and your doctor. One downside to PSA testing is that health care providers are detecting and treating some very early-stage prostate cancers that may never have caused the patient any harm.

There are several potential downsides to PSA testing; for example a high PSA does not always mean a patient has prostate cancer. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test measures the PSA enzyme in your blood for abnormalities. A bone scan can indicate whether the cancer has spread or not.

Thoroughly discuss your treatment options and concerns with your doctor and other health professionals; it never hurts to get a second or even third opinion or more if necessary. If chemotherapy is decided upon after the first round of chemotherapy, most men receive further doses on an outpatient basis at a clinic or physician's office. Surgery is usually only recommended after thorough evaluation and discussion of all available treatment options.

Chemotherapy medications are often used to treat prostate cancers that are resistant to hormonal treatments. Surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy and chemotherapy all have significant side effects; know fully what they are before you proceed. Impotence is a potential complication after the prostatectomy or after radiation therapy.

Many men simply want the best treatment they can get but what's important is picking the best treatment for you. The approaches to treatment include: ever watchful waiting to see whether the cancer is growing slowly and not causing any symptoms. Prostate cancer that has spread (metastasized) may be treated conventionally with drugs to reduce testosterone levels, surgery to remove the testes, chemotherapy or nothing at all.

Medicines can be used to adjust the levels of testosterone; called hormonal manipulation. Radiation therapy is used primarily to treat prostate cancers classified as stages A, B, or C. The conventional treatment of prostate cancer is often controversial.

In the early stages, surgery and radiation may be used to remove or attempt to kill the cancer cells or shrink the tumor. Anyone considering surgery should be aware of the benefits, risks and the extent of the procedure.

It's important to get as informed as possible and read all the newest books, ebooks and research available. Make sure to read everything you can get your hands on and mull it all over. Consider sites, such as this one, just a starting point where you can begin to learn about prostate cancer.

The Prostate Aging Problem And Prostate Cancer Prevention

By Donald Saunders
www.prostatecancerexplained.com

Over the years there has been considerable debate about prostate cancer and the subject of prostate cancer prevention in particular remains somewhat controversial. Although, as with many cancers, men do not themselves cause the onset of prostate cancer, there are certainly a number of risk factors for developing the disease and there is a great deal that can be done, if not to prevent it, then certainly to reduce the risk of developing it.

The first step in preventing prostate cancer is to understand that you are at risk of developing the condition and to know just why you are at risk. Here the starting point in understanding the risk is heredity.

There is no doubt that men with a family history of prostate cancer are at greater risk and, in general, the risk for a man with one close relative having prostate cancer is about twice that of a man without any family history. With two close relatives this risk rises to about five times that of someone with no family history and with three close relatives reaches a staggering ninety-seven percent.

The problem here is that many men are unaware of their family history, not least because many grandfathers, fathers or brothers have died from other illnesses and were perhaps never even aware of the fact they have prostate cancer. This happens because prostate cancer will often develop late in life and can be a very slow growing cancer. As a consequence there is a good chance that individuals will develop other conditions alongside their prostate cancer on which attention is focused and which ultimately results in their death.

So, if you are not sure of your family history, then a good starting point is to check things out if you can. If this is not possible, then it's probably a good idea to err on the side of caution and assume that the risk might be there rather than assume that you're in the clear.

Another important factor is that of race. African American men for example, and men of African descent, are at a greater risk than Hispanic men who, in turn, are at more risk than Caucasian men. The risk for an African American man is about sixty percent higher than that of a Caucasian man.

The next risk factor is diet and men living in Western countries such as the United States or the United Kingdom are at increased risk because of the high levels of fat in many Western diets. Here for the first time is a risk factor that you can actually do something about and lowering the fat in your diet and eating such things as more fresh fruit and vegetables can lessen your risk quite considerably.

At this point we start to run into difficulty as, beyond the basic principle of reducing fat your diet, opinions begin to differ when it comes to other aspects of the diet which may be helpful in prostate cancer prevention.

There is little doubt that levels of such things as vitamins and minerals in your diet can have a dramatic effect on your health generally and will certainly have a part to play when it comes to prostate health. However, determining just which vitamins and minerals play a part is not an easy matter and is certainly a subject all of its own.