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Prostate Cancer Won't Wreck Your Love Life

By Medical Expert Team

Apr 19 , 2016 | 1 min read

Prostate Cancer most commonly affects men, in the age group of 60’s and 70’s. Increasing number of cases are now being detected in Indian population — thanks to Prostate-specific Antigen (PSA) screening. This is a simple blood test available in most of the laboratories. Screening with PSA is recommended for all persons more than 55 years of age. If PSA is raised then Transrectal Ultrasound guided biopsy is done to confirm the diagnosis.

What is Prostate and how will a common man know whether he is suffering from prostate cancer?

The normal prostate is a small gland with average size of 20 gm. But it starts growing after 50 years of age, which in turn affects normal flow of urine and impacts the quality of life too. Cancer begins to grow in the prostate — a gland in the male reproductive system. Prostate cancer has no symptoms initially and takes a number of years to be detected. Usually after the age of 50 years, every man should go for basic evaluation of prostate health.

If there are no symptoms, how is prostate cancer detected?

Screening for prostate cancer can be performed in a physician’s office using two tests: the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test and the Digital Rectal Exam (DRE).

What are the treatment options available for prostate cancer?

There are a wide variety of treatment options available for men with prostate cancer, including surgery, radiation therapy and hormonal therapy. Any or all of which might be used at different times depending on the stage of disease and the need for prostate cancer treatment.

What are the preventive things for prostate cancer?

Growing old is the greatest risk factor for prostate cancer, which is beyond your control but you should control your diet. A diet rich in red meat and high fat predisposes to prostate cancer. Eat a big bowl of cereal; add fish and lots of leafy vegetables in your diet.

Prostate cancer diagnosed in early stage is highly curable. The Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) or surgery yield high rates of curing in the range of 80 – 90 per cent. Advantage of IGRT over surgery is that it is non–invasive and no hospitalization is required. Patients of all age groups can tolerate IGRT very well without any major side effects.