The Study Finds Fruit More Protective
When men in the highest fifth of total fruit intake were compared against those in the bottom fifth, it was determined that they had a significantly lower risk of developing PCa. Citrus fruits correlated significantly with this trend but not apples, pears or bananas. However, when it came to vegetables, neither total consumption nor vegetable subtypes were found to have an effect on PCa risk. There was almost link with tumor stage or grade with the exception of high consumption of leafy vegetables which were weakly linked with high grade PCa. Finally, neither fruits nor vegetables were observed to correlate with PCa mortality. Thus, the studys main finding was a higher fruit intake was associated with a small reduction in prostate cancer risk. On the other hand, the authors could not determine if this a causal connection or not.
Prostatitis: A Common Problem In Men Under 50
âThe PSA test is a good screening tool for prostate cancer, but it is not very specific,â says Erik P. Castle, MD, a urologist and researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. âCommon causes of inflammation in the gland, called prostatitis, can cause high PSA levels.â
Prostatitis is the most common prostate problem for men younger than 50.
Prostatitis caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics. Another, more common type of prostatitis, called nonbacterial prostatitis, can be harder to treat and may last a long time.
Physical Emotional And Social Effects Of Cancer
Cancer and its treatment cause physical symptoms and side effects, as well as emotional, social, and financial effects. Managing all of these effects is called palliative care or supportive care. It is an important part of your care that is included along with treatments intended to slow, stop, or eliminate the cancer.
Palliative care focuses on improving how you feel during treatment by managing symptoms and supporting patients and their families with other, non-medical needs. Any person, regardless of age or type and stage of cancer, may receive this type of care. And it often works best when it is started right after a cancer diagnosis. People who receive palliative care along with treatment for the cancer often have less severe symptoms, better quality of life, and report that they are more satisfied with treatment.
Palliative treatments vary widely and often include medication, nutritional changes, relaxation techniques, emotional and spiritual support, and other therapies. You may also receive palliative treatments similar to those meant to get rid of the cancer, such as chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation therapy.
Learn more about the importance of tracking side effects in another part of this guide. Learn more about palliative care in a separate section of this website.
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How Is The Psa Test Used In Men Who Have Been Treated For Prostate Cancer
The PSA test is used to monitor men after surgery or radiation therapy for prostate cancer to see if their cancer has recurred . If a mans PSA level begins to rise after prostate cancer treatment, it may be the first sign of a recurrence. Such a biochemical relapse typically appears months or years before the recurrence causes symptoms.
However, a single elevated PSA measurement in someone who has a history of prostate cancer does not always mean that the cancer has come back. Someone who has been treated for prostate cancer should discuss an elevated PSA level with their doctor. The doctor may recommend repeating the PSA test or performing other tests to check for evidence of a recurrence. The doctor may look for a trend of rising PSA level over time rather than a single elevated PSA level.
A rising trend in PSA level over time in combination with other findings, such as an abnormal result on imaging tests, may lead the doctor to recommend further cancer treatment.
Bowel Problems When To Seek Help
Radiotherapy to the prostate gland can change the way your bowel works. Bowel motions may be more frequent and loose. Changing what you eat can help with this.
Radiotherapy to the prostate gland can affect tissue and other organs in the pelvic area, causing more long term side effects. Speak to your doctor if you:
- need to poo at night
- need to rush to the loo to have a bowel movement, or you dont make it in time
- have bleeding from your back passage
- have other bowel symptoms that interfere with you living an active full life
You may not be able to follow a healthy balanced diet completely if you have these types of changes. Speak to your doctor or dietitian for help and advice about how to adapt your diet.
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If Treatment Does Not Work
Recovery from cancer is not always possible. If the cancer cannot be cured or controlled, the disease may be called advanced or terminal.
This diagnosis is stressful, and for some people, advanced cancer may be difficult to discuss. However, it is important to have open and honest conversations with your health care team to express your feelings, preferences, and concerns. The health care team has special skills, experience, and knowledge to support patients and their families and is there to help. Making sure a person is physically comfortable, free from pain, and emotionally supported is extremely important.
People who have advanced cancer and who are expected to live less than 6 months may want to consider hospice care. Hospice care is designed to provide the best possible quality of life for people who are near the end of life. You and your family are encouraged to talk with the health care team about hospice care options, which include hospice care at home, a special hospice center, or other health care locations. Nursing care and special equipment, including a hospital bed, can make staying at home a workable option for many families. Learn more about advanced cancer care planning.
After the death of a loved one, many people need support to help them cope with the loss. Learn more about grief and loss.
What Are The Benefits
Positive outcomes will be obtained in approximately 60 to 70% of the patients and long-term regression of the disease can be achieved in certain cases. Moreover, expected survival time can also be prolonged.
Large-scale trials are maintained in Australia and the U.S. to determine the full range of benefits.
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There Are Three Ways That Cancer Spreads In The Body
Cancer can spread through tissue, the lymph system, and the blood:
- Tissue. The cancer spreads from where it began by growing into nearby areas.
- Lymph system. The cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the lymph system. The cancer travels through the lymph vessels to other parts of the body.
- Blood. The cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the blood. The cancer travels through the blood vessels to other parts of the body.
This Post Has 95 Comments
salad dressing click here does not function.
Hey thanks for the heads up!When I migrated the site from wordpress.com to self-hosting all of my internal page links were broken.So I have to manually go through all my posts and fix them. Apparently I missed a few.:)
Hi Chris, I have read in several places that a little black pepper greatly increases ones bodys ability to absorb and use turmeric.
Yes it does absolutely!
Also Try Essential Oils. The company Doterra has therapeutic Grade, which are tested with a third party company to ensure purity and complexity. The oils help with anything from the common cold to Cancer treatment. Especially Frankenstein !
Im so happy you used natural herbs to help your body. Congrats ! : )
Thanks Caroline. Im assuming you mean Frankincense )
DUDE, HAVE BEEN USING A COMPLEXITY OF GARLIC, GINGER, OREGANO, CURRY POWDER, THYMES OF VARIOUS KINDS, BLACK PEPPER, NUTMEG, BASICALLY ANY SPICE I CAN GET HOLD OF FOR MANY REASONS FOR SOME TIME NOW, FRIENDS USED TO CALL ME SPICERACKEDDIE, WHY, SIMPLE, FOOD TASTES BETTER AND THE COMBINATIONS HAVE PREVENTED ME FROM MANY COMMON AILMENTS FOR SOME TIME NOW A LOT OF FOLKS WOULD GET A LOT BETTER JUST BY NOT EATING FAST FOODS, A FIRST VERY PRACTICAL STEP
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Caring For Someone With Prostate Cancer
Caring for someone with cancer can be a difficult and emotional time. If you or someone you know is caring for someone with prostate cancer, there is support available. Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australias booklet Understanding Prostate cancer for partners and families may also be helpful to read.
Is The Psa Test Recommended For Prostate Cancer Screening
Beginning around 2008, as more was learned about both the benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening, a number of professional medical organizations began to caution against routine population screening with the PSA test. Most organizations recommend that individuals who are considering PSA screening first discuss the risks and benefits with their doctors.
Some organizations do recommend that men who are at higher risk of prostate cancer begin PSA screening at age 40 or 45. These include Black men, men with germline variants in BRCA2 , and men whose father or brother had prostate cancer.
In 2018, the United States Preventive Serves Task Force updated its recommendation statement for prostate cancer screening from a D to a C in men ages 55 to 69. The updated recommendation, which applies to the general population as well as those at increased risk due to race/ethnicity or family history, is as follows:
- For individuals ages 55 to 69 years, the decision to undergo periodic PSA-based screening for prostate cancer should be an individual one. Before making the decision, a person should discuss the potential benefits and harms of screening with their clinician and consider these in the context of their own values and preferences.
- PSA-based screening for prostate cancer is not recommended for individuals 70 years and older.
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What Are Some Other Prostate Tests
Elevated PSA levels require further testing. Initially, many doctors may order another PSA test to confirm findings from the initial test. Another test that may be ordered is a digital rectal exam . The doctor conducts an exam using a gloved hand and lubricated finger and inserts the finger into the rectum to feel the prostate gland to determine if it is enlarged. DREs may be recommended at regular intervals to monitor changes.
Other tests may also be recommended initially or after monitoring reveals further abnormalities. Tests include checking for infections and other imaging like ultrasound, x-rays and cystoscopy. If a physical exam or imaging detects a lump, a biopsy may be recommended. During a biopsy the doctor inserts a hollow needle into the prostate and withdraws samples of tissue to detect cancer.
Whats A Prostate Cancer Diet
The truth is, theres no specific diet that will help you prevent or treat prostate cancer, according to sources such as the University of California at San Francisco . That said, good nutrition may be associated with a lower risk of developing cancer, along with reduced risk of the disease progressing after a diagnosis.
However, the research is still out on whether your diet can really impact prostate cancer risk and prognosis. Steven Canfield, MD, the chief of urology for McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston , and the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, says that while there have been a lot of studies looking at specific diets for prostate cancer, they havent been very revealing. Unfortunately, he says, none of them have really panned out to show any significant prevention.
But he adds an exception: It does seem to be that whats good for your heart is good for your prostate.
The UCSF cancer center developed diet guidelines for prostate cancer that recommend plentiful intake of a wide variety of vegetables and whole grains, healthy , and healthy fats .
If these diet recommendations sound a lot like the Mediterranean Diet, your instincts are right: Theres evidence that this food plan helps lower risk of death from prostate cancer.
Skip grilling. Cooking meat at high temperatures like grilling produces a carcinogen called PhIP. If you do prepare meats on the grill, turn the meat often to minimize the char buildup .
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What Psa Levels Should Make Me Concerned
Above 4 ng/ml PSA levels are usually cause for concern. However, it depends on your age, as PSA levels naturally increase as you get older. Therefore, levels that doctors consider abnormal rise with it. However, the average is 1.0 to 1.5 ng/ml, and you can check scores using the normal PSA levels in men by age chart above.
Repeating The Psa Test
A mans blood PSA level can vary over time , so some doctors recommend repeating the test after a month or so if the initial PSA result is abnormal. This is most likely to be a reasonable option if the PSA level is on the lower end of the borderline range . For higher PSA levels, doctors are more likely to recommend getting other tests, or going straight to a prostate biopsy.
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Add Some Pomegranate To Your Diet
Whether you enjoy pomegranate juice, the tasty pulp and seeds, or prefer the supplement, be sure to include this fruit in your diet more often. Research at Johns Hopkins has shown that this phytonutrient-rich fruit can reduce the rate of PSA doubling in men who have prostate cancer. Overall, the doubling time increased from 11.9 months at baseline to 18.5 months after treatment with pomegranate extract. Since pomegranate is rich in sugar, taking a supplement may be better than having the fruit on a regular basis.
Prostate Cancer Stages: What You Need To Know
There are four prostate cancer stages, which refer to how quickly and how far the cancer has spread.
The stages are based on guidelines set by the American Joint Committee on Cancer .
To determine your prostate cancer stage, your doctor will perform a number of tests, including:
- Digital rectal exam, in which your prostate is felt for abnormalities
- A blood test to measure the amount of PSA thats circulating in your body
- A biopsy to extract cancerous tissue and grade how likely it will spread based on its appearance compared with normal prostate tissue
- Various imaging tests, such as computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans
- Bone scans to look for cancerous cells in bone
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What Have Randomized Trials Of Prostate Cancer Screening Found
Several large, randomized trials of prostate cancer screening have been carried out. One of the largest is the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, which NCI conducted to determine whether certain screening tests can help reduce the numbers of deaths from several common cancers. In the prostate portion of the trial, the PSA test and digital rectal exam were evaluated for their ability to decrease a mans chances of dying from prostate cancer.
The PLCO investigators found that men who underwent annual prostate cancer screening had a higher incidence of prostate cancer than men in the control group but had about the same rate of deaths from the disease . Overall, the results suggest that many men were treated for prostate cancers that would not have been detected in their lifetime without screening. Consequently, these men were exposed unnecessarily to the potential harms of treatment.
A second large trial, the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer , compared prostate cancer deaths in men randomly assigned to PSA-based screening or no screening. As in the PLCO, men in ERSPC who were screened for prostate cancer had a higher incidence of the disease than control men. In contrast to the PLCO, however, men who were screened had a lower rate of death from prostate cancer .
The United States Preventive Services Task Force has estimated that, for every 1,000 men ages 55 to 69 years who are screened for 13 years :
Are Psa Tests Regularly Done
The UK government has not introduced a prostate cancer screening programme and therefore, no men are currently called in to have their PSA levels measured. Patients with new urinary symptoms like decreased urinary flow, for example, may be advised to have a PSA test once the implications of the test have been discussed. Unfortunately, the PSA test is not always accurate and can lead to further investigations in some men who do not actually have prostate cancer .
Some men, who have no urinary symptoms, may want to undergo a PSA test. This can be because they have become anxious about the possibility that they have prostate cancer and want to get checked out. A PSA test can be performed provided that the patient has had a proper discussion about the pros and cons of the test. NHS England has produced a guidance leaflet for men aged over 50 who are considering a test and have no urinary symptoms.
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When Treatments For Advanced Prostate Cancer Fail
Most men with advanced prostate cancer can live for a long time because of the treatments available. During this time, men will receive palliative care and/or end of life care.
The purpose of palliative care is to quickly identify and treat physical symptoms of the disease and side effects of treatment, as well as to help the person manage the effects of the disease on their emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing. Research suggests that palliative care reduces pain and distress, improves comfort, mood and feelings of wellbeing, and may also help to extend survival times.
Palliative care also helps partners, family and friends who love and care for the man with prostate cancer to better manage the impact of the disease. Studies have shown that it benefits not only the person with cancer, but the whole family.
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia Understanding Advanced Prostate Cancer may be helpful to read.