Other Professionals Who Can Help
Your doctor, nurse or GP can refer you to these professionals.
- Physiotherapists can help with mobility and provide exercises to help improve fitness or ease pain. This can help you stay independent for longer.
- Counsellors, psychologists or psychotherapists can help you and your family work through any difficult feelings and find ways of coping. Many hospitals have counsellors or psychologists who specialise in helping people with cancer. You can also get free counselling on the NHS without a referral from your GP. Visit nhs.uk/counselling to find out more.
- Dietitians can give you advice about healthy eating, which might help with fatigue and staying a healthy weight. They can also help if you are losing weight or having problems eating.
- Occupational therapists can provide advice and access to equipment and adaptations to help with daily life. For example, help with dressing, eating, bathing or using the stairs.
- Social services, including social workers, can provide practical and financial advice and access to emotional support. They can give you advice about practical issues such as arranging for someone to support you at home. Whats available varies from place to place. Your GP, hospital doctor or nurse might be able to refer you to some services. The telephone number for your local social service department will be in the phonebook under the name of your local authority, on their website and at the town hall.
Knowing What To Expect In The Final Days Or Hours Helps Comfort The Family
Most people dont know the signs that show death is near. Knowing what to expect can help them get ready for the death of their loved one and make this time less stressful and confusing. Healthcare providers can give family members information about the changes they may see in their loved one in the final hours and how they may help their loved one through this.
Prostate Cancer Symptoms Are Frequently Ignored Resulting In The Disease Progressing To An Advanced Stage Keep An Eye Out For Any Early Signs Of Prostate Cancer And Don’t Dismiss It As A Minor Illness
Representational image. News 18 Hindi
After lung cancer, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death, which is the most common non-skin cancer diagnosed in men. In 2020, there will be 34,500 cases of prostate cancer, with a projected increase to 48,700 by 2030. The mortality rate in 2022 will be 16,600. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is about the size of a walnut and covers the urethra. Fluid, which is a component of sperm, is produced by the prostate gland.
Pharma companies are on their toes in terms of R& D and manufacturing of more effective drugs for prostate cancer. According to a study published in The Lancet Oncology report, more boys than girls are diagnosed with cancer in India, and the likely cause is societal gender bias. Between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2019, the researchers collected individual data on children aged 0 to 19 years with cancer from hospital-based records at three cancer centers in India.
Almost all prostate cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute , are adenocarcinomas . Early symptoms of Prostate cancer are frequently absent. Advanced prostate cancer patients may urinate more frequently or have weaker urine flow, but these symptoms can also be caused by other prostate conditions.
Most common symptoms of prostate cancer:
Advanced or metastatic prostate cancer symptoms:
What should young men know about prostate cancer?
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Experimental Treatments For Advanced Prostate Cancer
Researchers are currently testing many new approaches and treatments for prostate cancer, including new medications. These include the following:
Immune checkpoint inhibitors
The immune system uses âcheckpointsâ to stop it from attacking the bodyâs healthy cells. These checkpoints are proteins on immune cells.
Cancer cells often use these checkpoints to keep the immune system from attacking them.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are drugs that can these checkpoints on cancer cells. Inhibiting these checkpoints can allow a personâs immune system to attack the cancer cells.
Chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy
This treatment involves taking immune cells from the personâs blood. A scientist then alters these cells in a lab to have receptors called chimeric antigen receptors on their surface.
These receptors help the cells attach to proteins on the surface of prostate cells. A scientist then multiplies these altered T cells in a lab before putting them back into the personâs blood.
Scientists hope these T cells can then find prostate cancer cells and launch a targeted immune attack.
However, this treatment is complicated and may have some serious side effects. This means it is currently only available as part of clinical trials.
Targeted drug therapies
Targeted drug therapies can act on specific parts of cancer cells and the environments surrounding them.
These drugs
Two possible targeted therapy treatments are:
Treating prostate cancer that has spread to the bones
How Does The Spread Of Prostate Cancer Occur
Prostate cancer is slow-growing cancer, and for this reason, it is often caught early and treated successfully. However, the cancer cells can spread outside the prostate or urethra to neighboring tissue that often begins with the bones. Once this occurs, this is one of the significant signs you are dying of prostate cancer.
The cells could migrate to your lymph nodes, and from there spread to other parts of the body, and they could also metastasize through the blood. Some types of prostate cancer, such as carcinomas could spread more aggressively, but they are rare.
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Treatment For Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Treatment for metastatic prostate cancer is based on many things. These include your age and overall health, the location of the cancer, and whether you had treatment before. Options may include hormone therapy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. These treatments may be combined. Your doctor may suggest a clinical trial.
Your doctor will talk with you about your options and then make a treatment plan. Some people choose to focus on treating their symptoms instead of the cancer .
Some people use complementary therapies along with medical treatment. Therapies like acupuncture or massage may help you cope with the symptoms and stress of cancer. Talk with your doctor about any of these options you would like to try.
Further Treatments To Control The Cancer
Your first treatment may help keep your cancer under control. But over time, the cancer may change and start to grow again. If this happens you might be offered other treatments, including:
- more hormone therapy
- clinical trials
More hormone therapy
Your prostate cancer may respond well to other types of hormone therapy, such as abiraterone , enzalutamide , steroids or oestrogens, or to a combination of treatments.
More chemotherapy
If youve had hormone therapy on its own as a first treatment, you might be offered a chemotherapy drug called docetaxel . This may help some men to live longer, and can help to improve and delay symptoms. If youve already had docetaxel, you might be offered more docetaxel or another chemotherapy drug called cabazitaxel .
Radium-223
This is a type of internal radiotherapy that may be an option if your cancer has spread to your bones and is causing pain. A radioactive liquid is injected into your arm and collects in bones that have been damaged by the cancer. It kills cancer cells in the bones and helps some men to live longer. It can also help to reduce bone pain and delay some symptoms, such as bone fractures. Read more about radiotherapy for advanced prostate cancer.
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Why Is The Psas Role In Detecting Early
Most men detect prostate cancer in the early stages during annual check-ups at their doctors, when they get their annual PSA screening or digital rectal exam.Spotted in its early stages, prostate cancer can be cured.
Its especially important to start testing your PSA level starting at your 40s, especially if you check one or more of the risk factors:
- you are a male over the age of 50
- there is prostate cancer history in your family
- statistics of World Cancer Research Fund, shows that prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. you are African American .
The signs of prostate cancer generally become more noticeable in the advanced stages of the disease. Prostate cancer symptoms are not usually caused by cancer itself, but rather as a result of blockage caused by the increased growth of the prostate gland. Prostate cancer is associated with urinary dysfunction as the prostate gland surrounds the prostatic urethra. Changes within the gland directly affect urinary function.
Surgery For Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Unlike with localized prostate cancer, surgery isnt usually used to treat metastatic cancer. However, it may be used in some cases if it can help improve a patients quality of life, often to resolve urinary problems or stop bleeding.
If prostate cancer is locally advanced and hasnt spread far, a radical prostatectomy may still be an option. A radical prostatectomy is a surgical procedure in which the prostate is removed, along with any nearby tissue that contains prostate cancer cells.
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Symptoms Of Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Metastatic prostate cancer means that a cancer that began in the prostate gland has spread to another part of the body. It is also called advanced prostate cancer.
If your prostate cancer has spread you might:
- feel generally unwell
- have weight loss for no known reason
You might have specific symptoms depending on where the cancer has spread to. These symptoms can also be caused by other medical conditions so might not be a sign that the cancer has spread.
Possible Prostate Cancer Risks
Men over the age of 50 have a significantly greater chance of receiving this diagnosis. In addition, genetics play a key role, and men with first-degree relatives who have had prostate or breast cancer have an increased risk.
There are also some risk factors related to race, as African American men have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer and often have more advanced symptoms. A study in Cancer pointed out that American black men have a 1.8 times greater chance of receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis compared to white men.
There are also lifestyle factors that may be causes of prostate cancer development, the primary one being obesity. In addition, obesity may predict a more aggressive cancer.
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What Is Prostate Cancer
The urethra passes through the middle of the prostate. Because of the proximity of the prostate to the urethra and reproductive organs, prostate cancer may cause symptoms affecting urination and sexual activity.
The symptoms of prostate cancer may be different for each man, and any one of these symptoms may be caused by other conditions such as prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia. As a result, routine screenings in the form of digital rectal exams and prostate-specific androgen tests are vital.
This article will cover:
How Is It Diagnosed
Advanced and metastatic prostate cancer are diagnosed using a combination of a physical exam, blood tests, imaging tests, and sometimes biopsies. If you’ve had prostate cancer before, you’ll likely be having regular PSA tests . Other tests to see if the cancer has come back or spread include bone scans
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Extreme Tiredness: Vital Sign Of Advanced Prostate Cancer
There is a difference between fatigue and just feeling tired generally. Fatigue is when you experience a feeling of extreme tiredness that refuses to go away. No amount of rest makes the feeling of tiredness go away. This is usually one of the first signs men will notice of advanced prostate cancer. Men would be surprised to see how tired they actually start to feel and by the huge impact this level of fatigue has on their lives. Not only will fatigue affect your mood, but it reaches a level where even doing everyday tasks becomes difficult. While fatigue can be caused by the actual prostate cancer, even the treatments for the cancer cause fatigue. Besides, the accompanying stress, anxiety and lack of physical activity also contribute to the feeling of fatigue.
How to Cope with Fatigue Caused By Advanced Prostate Cancer?
There are several things you can do to better manage your fatigue due to advanced prostate cancer. These include:
- Indulging in some level of physical activity.
- Talking to your doctor.
- Planning your tasks ahead of time and taking things slowly.
- Asking for help with whatever you need, dont feel embarrassed or shy. You will be amazed to see how many people step up to help.
- Seeking help for your emotional problems.
- Make time to relax.
- Sort out your sleeping schedule.
- Eat well and drink plenty of water.
Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer Spread To The Lymph Nodes
Lymph nodes are part of a system of tubes and glands in the body that filters body fluid and fights infection.
There are lots of lymph nodes in the groin area, which is close to the prostate gland. Prostate cancer can spread to the lymph nodes in the groin area, or to other parts of the body. The most common symptoms are swelling and pain around the area where the cancer has spread.
Cancer cells can stop lymph fluid from draining away. This might lead to swelling in the legs due to fluid build up in that area. The swelling is called lymphoedema.
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Treatments To Control Advanced Prostate Cancer
If youve just been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, you may be offered the following treatments:
- chemotherapy with hormone therapy
- clinical trials.
Chemotherapy with hormone therapy
Chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs to kill cancer cells, wherever they are in the body. It wont get rid of your prostate cancer, but it aims to shrink it and slow down its growth. You might be offered chemotherapy at the same time as, or soon after, you start having hormone therapy. This helps many men to live longer, and may help delay symptoms such as pain.
You need to be quite fit to have chemotherapy. This is because it can cause side effects that are harder to deal with if you have other health problems. Read more about chemotherapy.
Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy will be a life-long treatment for most men with advanced prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer usually needs the hormone testosterone to grow. Hormone therapy works by either stopping your body from making testosterone, or stopping testosterone from reaching the cancer cells. This usually causes the cancer to shrink, wherever it is in the body. Hormone therapy can also help control symptoms of advanced prostate cancer, such as bone pain.
Hormone therapy can cause side effects speak to your doctor or nurse about ways to manage these. Read more about hormone therapy, and its side effects.
Clinical trials
Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer Spread To The Bones
The most common place for prostate cancer to spread to is the bones. This can include the:
The most common symptom if cancer has spread to the bone is bone pain. It is usually there most of the time and can wake you up at night. The pain can be a dull ache or stabbing pain.
Your bones might also become weaker and more likely to break .
When prostate cancer spreads to the spine, it can put pressure on the spinal cord and cause spinal cord compression. This stops the nerves from being able to work properly. Back pain is usually the first symptom of spinal cord compression.
Spinal cord compression is an emergency. You should contact your treatment team immediately if you are worried you might have spinal cord compression.
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What Is My Outlook
If youre diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, you may want to know how well your treatment is likely to control your cancer and for how long it will control it. This is sometimes called your outlook or prognosis. But not all men will want to know this.
While it isnt possible to cure advanced prostate cancer, treatments can help keep it under control, often for several years. Treatments will also help manage any symptoms, such as pain.
No one can tell you exactly what your outlook will be, as it will depend on many things such as where the cancer has spread to, how quickly it has spread, and how well you respond to treatment. Some men may not respond well to one treatment, but may respond better to another. And when your first treatment stops working, there are other treatments available to help keep the cancer under control for longer. Speak to your doctor about your own situation and any questions or concerns you have.
Advanced Prostate Cancer Symptoms
Men with advanced prostate cancer may experience additional symptoms. Thats because the cancer has spread from the prostate to other parts of the body, such as the bones or lymph nodes.
Signs of metastatic prostate cancer may include:
- Swelling in legs or pelvic area
- Numbness or pain in the hips, legs or feet
- Bone pain that persists or leads to fractures
A wide range of treatment options are available for managing advanced cancer. These treatments kill cancer cells, but they may also help patients manage pain.
Prostate cancer treatment: The care you need is one call away
Your multidisciplinary team will work with you to develop a personalized plan to treat your prostate cancer in a way that fits your individual needs and goals.
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What Tests Will I Have
You may have tests to find out how far the cancer has spread. If you are generally not very well it may not be necessary to do extra tests. Your doctor will still be able to recommend treatment. Some of these tests can also be used to check how you are responding to treatment.
You may have some or all of the following tests:
PSA blood test
Prostate specific antigen is a protein that can rise due to disease in your prostate gland. A sample is taken from your blood and measured. A PSA test can also show how well your cancer is responding to treatment.
Biopsy
A biopsy is where a sample of your prostate tissue is taken and examined under a microscope. It isnt common to have a biopsy with metastatic prostate cancer, but if this is your first prostate cancer diagnosis it may be necessary. Treatment can still start without a biopsy.
Bone scan
Metastatic prostate cancer often spreads to the bones. Bone scans can find cancer spots before they show up on an ordinary X-ray. For this test, a tiny amount of radioactive liquid is put into a vein, usually in your arm. After the injection you will have to wait up to 3 hours. A scan is then taken of all the bones in your body. Abnormal bone takes up more radioactive liquid than normal bone. These areas will show up on the scan and are known as ‘hot spots’. The scan can also show bone changes like arthritis.
Read more about cancer tests.
These tests will help your doctor to decide on the best treatment for you.