The Prostate And Its Effects On Male Life

The prostate is a small gland, roughly the size of a walnut. It sits below the urethra (the tube urine passes through), just in front of the rectum, and it is mostly glandular tissue with 30% being muscular. The prostate is a very important gland that produces the fluid that helps carry sperm when a male ejaculates.

One of the worst effects the prostate can have on a male is prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in males and will affect nearly ten percent of all men at some point in their lifetime, although the survival rate for prostate cancer has improved dramatically over the past twenty years.

How does prostate cancer start?

Prostate cancer begins as a malignant tumor in the prostate gland; over time it can spread into the nearby bone, lymph nodes and other types of tissue and organs located in the same area.

What are the risk factors involved?

More than 70% of people affected with prostate cancer are over the age of 65 years.

Men who have close blood relatives like their father or grandfather who have had prostate cancer are eleven times more likely to develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives.

The death rate in men with prostate cancer increases the more obese a man is.

Men of Caucasian descent are over two times more likely to develop prostate cancer than those of African descent.

What can I do to stop myself getting prostate cancer?

There is nothing you can do to stop yourself from getting prostate cancer although there is some belief that having a healthy diet can reduce the possibilities.

Diagnosing prostate cancer

There are a few different tests that can be carried out to see if a male has prostate cancer. These can vary from a digital rectal exam to a biopsy.

The digital rectal exam requires a doctor with a gloved hand to put a lubricated finger into the anus and feel the area of the rectum where the prostate sits against on the other side. The doctor will be able to feel if the prostate has become enlarged or bumpy through the tissue of the rectum.

A biopsy means the doctor will take a number of tissue samples from the prostate; these samples are then taken to a lab where they are checked under a microscope for cancerous cells.

There are two more types of examination. One is an ultrasound called a trans rectal ultrasound, which can detect abnormal growth of the prostate in the same way the digital rectal exam does, and the other is the PSA (prostate specific antigen) test. The PSA test measures the amount of prostate specific antigen substance in the bloodstream. In the average male it is four nanograms per millimeter. If the amount is higher then the male is at greater risk. The PSA test cannot actually detect cancer, but can tell the doctor if there is a need to look further.

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