How To Avoid Prostate Cancer?

Table of Contents

Is There any Relation Between Enlarged Prostate and Prostate Cancer?

There is no direct relation between the enlarged prostate and Prostate Cancer. However, many people think that an enlarged prostate increases the risk of prostate carcinoma but this is not a fact.

This is very clear that prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) or BPH does not increase the risk of prostate cancer, but yes the older age is one of them.

Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) or Enlarged Prostate

Enlarged Prostate is the most common disease in the elder population which is also called benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). This is very usual that the prostate enlarges with the age. BPH affects almost 50 percent of males between the age of 50 and 60. However, this percentage increases to 90 percent after the age of 80 years plus. Enlarged Prostate is Men’s disease and you have to have BPH if you have celebrated your 60th Birthday.

Prostate Cancer Age

As per the available data and information, one in eight men will be diagnosed with Carcinoma of the Prostate during their lifetime. The risk of prostate carcinoma increase with the age and is more likely to develop in older age.

Prostate carcinoma is very rare in the male population under 40 years of age. The average age of men at diagnosis of cancer of the prostate is ~66 years. Prostate cancer age can be considered after the age of 65-66 years.

Prostate Cancer Causes

Age is one of the risk factors but other risk factors and causes of prostate carcinoma are the following:

Race – Prostate carcinoma is most common in black men than in Asian men.
Family History
Hereditary Breast, and Ovarian cancers
Eating habits
Smoking
Obesity

Prostate Cancer Symptoms

Following are the most common symptoms of the Carcinoma of the Prostate:

Difficulty in urinating
Dribbling and Increasing Frequency of Urination
Blood in Urine
Bone and Back pain
Blood in the Semen
Erectile Dysfunction
Weight Loss without trying

Types of Prostate Cancer

Adenocarcinoma of prostate
- Acinar Adenocarcinoma of Prostate – This is the most common type of Prostate Carcinoma
- Ductal Adenocarcinoma of Prostate
Transitional Cell Carcinoma of The prostate
Squamous Cell Carcinoma of The prostate
Small Cell Carcinoma Of The Prostate
Other (Rare Type of Prostate cancers)
- Lymphoma
- Sarcoma

Stages of Prostate Cancer

All cancers ahs three stages on the basis of TNM classification basis on the growth of the tumor and the involvement of adjacent tissues or organs.

T Stage – It’s rated on a scale of 1 to 4. T1 indicates that tumors can be detected only with help of radiological imaging or biopsy of the tissues. on other hand, T4 indicates that the disease has been spread to the adjacent local tissues.

N Stage – It’s rated X, 0, and 1. An X rating indicates that lymph nodes weren’t examined, 0 indicates that cancer has not spread yet, and 1 means cancer has reached the nearby lymph nodes.

M Stage – This is rated as M0, M1a, M1b, and M1c. M0 means that cancer has not spread beyond the regional lymph nodes. M1a indicates that cancer has spread to other nearby lymph nodes. M1b indicates that cancer has spread to the bone, and M1c indicates that cancer has spread to other organs which are called metastasis.

Is Prostate Cancer Curable?

Once your doctor says that your scan says enlarged prostate and with your age, there can be chances of Prostate carcinoma too. The first question that comes to your mind after diagnosis that “is prostate cancer curable or not” which is very obvious.

But the strong answer to your question is yes, prostate carcinoma can be cured easily if detected and treated early. However, most prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in the early stage because symptoms push patients to get this investigated.

Treatment of Prostate Cancer

Treatment doesn’t always have means going with surgery or chemotherapy only. There are many other treatment options available now, which include non-invasive radiotherapy with or without surgery and chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy

It is a medical treatment, powerful drugs that contain anti-carcinogenic properties are used to kill the fast-growing cells in the prostate. Different types of chemotherapy drugs are used for different types of cancers basis on the response of the drug.

Surgical Treatment of Prostate Cancer

The main type of surgical treatment for prostate carcinoma is Radical Prostatectomy. In this surgery, the oncology surgeon removes the entire prostate gland with some adjacent tissues around it to reduce the risk of recurrence.

CyberKnife

It’s the most advanced, safest, and most effective non-invasive treatment option for early-stage prostate cancers. CyberKnife treatment has almost the same cure as a radical prostatectomy. Not only is it pain-free and non-invasive but you may avoid surgery and longer hospitalization.

Radiotherapy or Radiation Therapy

The most common type of radiotherapy for prostate carcinoma is External Body Radiation Therapy (EBRT). The new age radiation therapies like Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) have become advanced. SBRT is designed to focus on radiation on the tumor while minimizing the risk of damage to the surrounding healthy tissues.

Others

Hormone Therapy
Immunotherapy
Targetted Therapy
Herbal and Ayurvedic preparation for Prevention and Recurrence

Eat red fruits and vegetables – Fruits like tomatoes, watermelons, etc contain a strong antioxidant called lycopene. Many research support that Lycopene reduces the progression and growth of prostate cancer.
Add citrus fruits and Vitamin C to your diet – Oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes, tangerines, etc are rich sources of citric acid and vitamin C which reduces the risk of prostate carcinoma.
Consider Soybeans, Peanuts, and lentils in your daily diet. They contain isoflavones which help in preventing and reducing the risk of cancer.
Coffie is also very helpful in cancer prevention
Limit Fat intake and control your weight and obesity
Quit Smoking if you smoke
Add seafood and your regular diet to add more Omega-3
Use more green leafy vegetables to get folates
Use dairy products to maintain your body’s calcium levels
Maintain Vitamin D3 levels and play outdoor games.
Regular exercise plays an important role to reduce the risk of cancer

Does Having More Sex and Ejaculations Reduce the Risk of Prostate Cancer?

The reasons are not fully known but a study was done on 32,000 men over 18 years to see the effect of Sex and More ejaculations on Prostate cancer. It found that the men who ejaculate more and frequently every week had lower chances of prostate carcinoma comparing those who ejaculated once a week.

More ejaculations per week, the lower the risk of prostate carcinoma. However few other studies found that ejaculation rate has no impact or effect on prostate cancer rates.

Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer

Doctors use the combination of the TMN Stages, Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA), and Gleason Score to make a diagnosis of prostate cancer stage.

Gleason’s score of less than 5 is not used but more than 6 Gleason Score is considered a risk of prostate carcinoma. The lowest Gleason score is 6 which indicates low-grade prostate cancer. A Gleason score of 7 means the medium grade cancer of the prostate and a score of 8, 9, and 10 is high-grade cancer of the prostate gland.

Investigations For Prostate Cancer

If your doctor suspects you of a case of carcinoma prostate can advise you following tests.

Ultrasonography
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)
CT and MRI
Bone Scan
Positron Emission Tomography (PET-Scan)

Prostate Cancer Survival Rate

Survival rates are estimates based on the previous outcomes of a large number of patients who had cancer of the prosate, but it cannot be predicted what will happen to an individual. If you have any questions or any doubts in your mind please connect with your doctor or healthcare provider.

Prostate Cancer 5 Years Relative Survival Rates

It compares people with the same type and stage of cancer to people in the overall population. For example, if the 5-year relative survival rate for a specific stage is 80%, it means that the man who has the cancer is, on average, about 80% as likely as a man who doesn’t have that cancer to live for at least 5 years after being diagnosed. Based on the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) stages, the following is the 5-year relative survival rate:

Localized – No sign that cancer has spread outside the prostate: >99%
Regional: Cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes or structures> 99%
Distant: Cancer spread to parts of the body distant from the prostate, such as kidneys, lungs, liver, or bones 31%
Overall all combined SEER stages: 98%