10 Signs That Can Indicate Prostate Cancer
Changes in the urine and difficulty to maintain erection are signs that can indicate prostate cancer, a common disease after the age of 50. However these same symptoms can also occur due to alterations in benign, as in the enlarged prostate, for example.
Therefore, it is important to go to the urologist at least 1 time per year after 45 years of age, to do routine exams to identify any changes prostate the as before.
The prostate is a gland located near the anus and because of this the digital rectal examination is the best way to assess your health. It is the prostate that produces the fluid that way the sperm that is important in order to conduct the sperm to the egg during sexual contact.
The initial symptoms of prostate cancer
The initial symptoms of cancer in the prostate are poorly specific and very similar to any other problem in this region.
If you have some of these symptoms, you should seek a urologist to do tests to identify if it really is a case of cancer, such as the digital rectal examination and the PSA, which is a blood test. See what are the tests that are done to evaluate the prostate and men’s health.
Symptoms of prostate cancer advanced
In more advanced cases, in which the prostate is greatly enlarged, or that there has been metastasis of the cancer to other regions of the body, symptoms may include:
- Urinary or fecal incontinence;
- Weakness in the legs;
- Renal failure.
In addition, if the cancer has spread to other regions of the body, it is also common the presence of symptoms such as pain in the back, thighs, shoulders, or other bones, for example.
In the more advanced stages, it is important to seek the doctor so that he can evaluate the extent of the disease and whether other organs have been affected, with the aid of tests such as biopsy of the prostate gland, scintigraphy, or computed tomography.
The treatment for prostate cancer
The treatment for prostate cancer is done according to the stage of the disease and the health status of the patient. Usually the treatment is done with:
- Surgery:is the treatment most widely used, because it removes the prostate gland and in the initial cases of the disease, brings the total healing;
- Radiation therapy:used in cases where surgery is contraindicated or when the patient does not want to be operated on;
- Hormones:are used to control the production of hormones that promote the development of the disease.
In more advanced cases of the disease usually are used two of these methods of treatment, and it is often necessary to remove beyond the prostate, the testes also.