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Symptoms Of Severe Prostate Cancer

Avoid Family Food Battles

What Are the Warning Signs of Prostate Cancer? | UPMC

It can be very upsetting to family if you start eating less. Some of them may think your interest in food represents your interest in life. By refusing food or not eating much, it may seem to your family that youre choosing to shorten your life or that you will starve.

Its important that you and your loved ones talk about issues around eating. The last stage of your life doesn’t have to be filled with arguments about food. Again, loss of appetite and being unable to eat happens to many people with advanced cancer. When you feel like eating less, its not a sign that you want to leave life or your family. Its often a normal part of the processes that can happen in the last stage of life. If you’re getting into arguments with your loved ones, try to let them know that you appreciate their concern and understand their attempts are acts of love. You can let them know youre not rejecting their love, but your body is limiting what it needs at this time.

You can learn more in Eating Problems.

What Is The Treatment For Advanced Prostate Cancer

No matter where prostate cancer spreads, its still treated as prostate cancer. Its harder to treat when it reaches an advanced stage.

Treatment for advanced prostate cancer involves targeted and systemic therapies. Most men need a combination of treatments and they may have to be adjusted from time to time.

How The Prostate Changes As You Age

Because the prostate gland tends to grow larger with age, it may squeeze the urethra and cause problems in passing urine. Sometimes men in their 30s and 40s may begin to have these urinary symptoms and need medical attention. For others, symptoms aren’t noticed until much later in life. An infection or a tumor can also make the prostate larger. Be sure to tell your doctor if you have any of the urinary symptoms listed below.

Tell your doctor if you have these urinary symptoms:

  • Are passing urine more during the day
  • Have an urgent need to pass urine
  • Have less urine flow
  • Feel burning when you pass urine
  • Need to get up many times during the night to pass urine

Growing older raises your risk of prostate problems. The three most common prostate problems are inflammation , enlarged prostate , and prostate cancer.

One change does not lead to another. For example, having prostatitis or an enlarged prostate does not increase your risk of prostate cancer. It is also possible for you to have more than one condition at the same time.

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Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer

Though early warning signs of prostate cancer are rare, sometimes men experience symptoms before they are diagnosed. The severity of symptoms may depend on where the cancer is located in the prostate and how advanced it has become. However, having any of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer or that the disease has progressed beyond its early stages.

What Are Possible Side Effects Of Treatments For Localized Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer

All treatments can cause side effects. The most common side effects are urinary, bowel, and sexual problems. Some problems happen soon after treatment, but others develop over time. Some side effects may get better, but some may last a long time or may never go away. Talk with your doctor if you have any side effects. There may be ways to help manage them.

Table 2. Possible side effects of treatments

Treatment

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Prostate Cancer Caregiver Podcast Series

We are proud to announce a new podcast series geared toward helping give support, hope and guidance to prostate cancer caregivers. The goal of this Prostate Cancer Caregiver Podcast Series is to help others connect with a diverse group of people who have felt the impact of prostate cancer in their lives and empower them on their journey.

Testing Options For Prostate Cancer

There is no one age for prostate cancer testing, but the American Cancer Society makes recommendations about screenings. According to the ACS, patients in any of these groups should consider asking their doctor about testing:

  • Men age 50 or older who have an average risk of prostate cancer and a life expectancy of at least 10 more years
  • Men age 45 or older with a high risk, including African-American men and those with a first-degree relative who had prostate cancer before age 65
  • Men age 40 or older who have a higher risk, such as more than one first-degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age

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Prostate Cancer: Signs Symptoms And Risk Factors

Typically, prostate cancer presents no symptoms in its early stages. However, with later stages of prostate cancer, men may experience the following prostate cancer warning signs:

  • Urinary symptoms can be a warning sign of developing prostate cancer. These urinary symptoms are often the same as the ones men experience with benign prostatic hyperplasia , except with prostate cancer the symptoms appear more abruptly.
  • Weak or interrupted urine flow
  • Pain or burning with urination
  • Difficulty urinating or stopping
  • Blood in urine
  • Frequent urination
  • If the cancer has invaded the nerves beside the prostate, the man may experience erectile dysfunction or a decrease in the firmness of erections.
  • Sometimes the first symptoms are severe back, hip or chest pain, which can mean prostate cancer has spread to bones.
  • Numbness or weakness in legs or feet, or loss of bladder control .
  • The good news is that fewer men are initially diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer because of widespread PSA screening .

    What Are The Risk Factors For Prostate Cancer

    Radiation for Prostate Cancer and Prostatitis Symptoms | Ask a Prostate Expert, Mark Scholz, MD

    Some of the greatest risk factors for prostate cancer include:

    • Age. Prostate cancer is very rare in men younger than 40 years of age. In contrast, approximately 60% of prostate cancer cases occur in men that are older than 65.
    • Race. African-American men tend to be at greater risk for prostate cancer compared to non-Hispanic whites, whereas Asian-Americans and Hispanic/Latino men are less susceptible to this disease.
    • Location. Prostate cancer is most common in North America, Europe, Australia, and the Caribbean. It is rarer in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. This may be because of more intensive screening procedures for the disease in certain countries, although lifestyle factors such as diet could also play a key role in the difference.
    • Family history. In many cases, there is a strong hereditary factor associated with the emergence of prostate cancer. In fact, men who have a father or brother with prostate cancer have a much higher risk of developing it themselves.

    Other possible risk factors could include a dairy-rich diet, obesity, smoking, and exposure to harmful chemicals.

    Read Also: Prostate Cancer Treatment Options Mayo Clinic

    What Should You Do If You Have The Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer

    If you are presenting one or more of the warning signs of prostate cancer, then it would be wise to promptly consult with a qualified physician. Your symptoms may indicate another, less serious condition and even if you do receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer, it is much easier to treat this disease when detected early on.

    To learn more, contact our team of medical professionals at Care New England today.

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    Prostate Cancer Risk Groups

    In addition to stage, doctors may use other prognostic factors to help plan the best treatment and predict how successful treatment will be. Examples of these include the National Comprehensive Cancer Network risk group categories and the Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment risk score from University of California, San Francisco.

    Information about the cancers stage and other prognostic factors will help the doctor recommend a specific treatment plan. The next section in this guide is Types of Treatment. Use the menu to choose a different section to read in this guide.

    Read Also: Prostate Cancer Stages And Treatment

    Proving Severe Prostate Cancer Symptoms

    The team of medical examiners from the SSA want to see medical evidence that confirms you deal with severe prostate cancer symptom. Evidence in the form of ultrasounds detects the size of cancer tumors, which are a direct function of the seriousness of your prostate cancer symptoms.

    A magnetic resonance imaging test creates a more detailed image of the size of your cancer tumors. Collecting prostate tissue is an accurate way to determine whether your prostate symptoms are getting worse.

    Warning Signs Of Prostate Cancer

    Signs &  Symptoms of Advanced Prostate Cancer

    Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and is known as the second most prevalent cause of death after lung cancer. The prostate is a small walnut-sized gland in the lower abdomen of males, located in front of the rectum. The urethra passes through the center of the gland from the bladder to the penis. The prostate helps in producing semen that passes through the urethra during the process of ejaculation.

    Prostate cancer is notorious for the fact that it shows very few symptoms in the early stages of the disease. Prostate cancer can be easily detected by prostate-specific antigen level. It can be further diagnosed by digital rectal examination and ultrasound-guided transrectal prostate biopsy. It is common in old age, so doctors prefer to evaluate biopsy of the prostate of suspicious patients under a microscope before devising the treatment. Prostate cancer develops slowly over time, but debilitating symptoms generally start after few years of the silent disease. If you are having any problems while urinating at the age above 55, it is highly advised to visit your doctor and get yourself screened for prostate cancer.

    » Now, lets discuss signs & symptoms of prostate cancer.

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    How Common Is Prostatitis

    Prostatitis is the most common urinary tract problem for men younger than age 50 and the third most common urinary tract problem for men older than age 50.1 Prostatitis accounts for about two million visits to health care providers in the United States each year.2

    Chronic prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome is

    • the most common and least understood form of prostatitis.
    • can occur in men of any age group.
    • affects 10 to 15 percent of the U.S. male population.3

    Signs And Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer

    Most prostate cancers are found early, through screening. Early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms. More advanced prostate cancers can sometimes cause symptoms, such as:

    • Problems urinating, including a slow or weak urinary stream or the need to urinate more often, especially at night
    • Blood in the urine or semen
    • Trouble getting an erection
    • Pain in the hips, back , chest , or other areas from cancer that has spread to bones
    • Weakness or numbness in the legs or feet, or even loss of bladder or bowel control from cancer pressing on the spinal cord

    Most of these problems are more likely to be caused by something other than prostate cancer. For example, trouble urinating is much more often caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia , a non-cancerous growth of the prostate. Still, its important to tell your health care provider if you have any of these symptoms so that the cause can be found and treated, if needed. Some men might need more tests to check for prostate cancer.

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    What Causes Prostate Cancer

    The exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown. One in three men older than 50 years has some cancer cells in the prostate. Luckily, eight out of 10 tumors are found to be small and harmless after the biopsy. Although the reason for prostate cancer is unknown, there are many risk factors that increase the risk of prostate cancer:

    • Age over 55 years
    • Ethnicity: Common in blacks as compared to Caucasians.
    • Genetic/family history
  • Cryotherapy is the use of very cold temperatures to freeze and kill the cancerous cells
  • Focal therapy
  • Drug therapies that spread throughout the body to destroy cancer cells involve:
  • Hormonal therapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Denied Disability With Prostate Cancer

    PROSTATE CANCER SYMPTOMS – early and late stages PROSTATE CANCER THERAPY

    The answer to your dismay of receiving a denied disability claim for prostate cancer should be to file an appeal with the SSA. Filing an appeal for denied disability benefits means presenting stronger evidence that includes the results of a Residual Functional Capacity assessment.

    Finding out that you have prostate cancer, or any type of cancer for that matter, can shake you to the core. Things get worse when the Social Security Administration says you are denied disability benefits to help you pay for medical bills, as well as the money lost because you no longer work. You thought you would never hear the three words denied disability benefits associated with a prostate cancer claim. If your prostate cancer disability claim was denied, follow these steps to help your appeal.

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    Genetic Testing For Prostate Cancer

    You may hear a lot about genetics or genomics. Both terms are related to genes and cell DNA, but they are different. These tests are being used to learn more about the DNA of cancer cells, and link DNA mutations with treatments. In the future, genetic testing may be the first step doctors take when diagnosing prostate cancer.

    Pearls And Other Issues

    PSA Testing: The Pros and the Cons

    Prostate Specific Antigen is a protein produced by the prostate and is abundant in semen. Its natural function is to divide seminogelin in the semen, which helps in liquefaction. The expression of PSA is androgen-regulated.

    It was originally used as a prostatic tissue stain to help determine the etiology of tumors of unknown origin. Later, serum levels of PSA were used as a prostate cancer screening tool because serum PSA levels start to increase significantly about seven to nine years before the clinical diagnosis of malignancy. While a good indicator of prostatic disorders, PSA elevation is not specific for cancer as it is also elevated in benign prostatic hyperplasia, infection, infarction, inflammation and after prostatic manipulation. It also cannot reliably distinguish between low risk/low grade disease and high risk/high grade cancers.

    About 80% of the patients currently diagnosed with prostate cancer are initially investigated due to an elevated serum PSA.

    While it unquestionably increases prostate cancer detection rates, the value of PSA testing is less clear in avoiding overtreatment, improving quality of life and lengthening overall survival which is why routine PSA screening for prostate cancer remains quite controversial.

    PSA testing became widely available in the United States in 1992, and since then, prostate cancer detection rates have increased substantially.

    The Current USPSTF Recommendation

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    Eating Diet And Nutrition

    Researchers have not found that eating, diet, and nutrition play a role in causing or preventing prostatitis. During treatment of bacterial prostatitis, urologists may recommend increasing intake of liquids and avoiding or reducing intake of substances that irritate the bladder. Men should talk with a health care provider or dietitian about what diet is right for them.

    Recurrent Prostate Cancer Symptoms

    What Are The 5 Warning Signs Of Prostate Cancer

    Prostate cancer that returns after treatment is considered recurrent. When it returns to the area around the prostate, the disease is classified as a local recurrence. If the cancer is found in another part of the body, the recurrent cancer is considered metastatic. If the cancer metastasizes outside the prostate, it most likely develops in bones first. Metastatic prostate cancer most often spreads to the liver, bones and lungs.

    After initial treatment for prostate cancer, PSA levels are expected to drop dramatically. The first sign of recurrent prostate cancer may be a rise in the PSA level. Other symptoms of recurrent cancer may depend on whether and where the cancer has spread. Symptoms include:

    • Blood in the urine
    • Difficulty breathing
    • Jaundice

    Patients should discuss any symptoms with their doctor and ask about scheduling regular PSA tests after treatment.

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    What Should I Do If I Have Prostate Cancer Symptoms

    If you are displaying one or more signs of prostate cancer, be sure to promptly consult with a physician. Even benign prostate conditions like prostate enlargement warrant timely medical attention, so dont delay seeking treatment. And, like most other malignancies, prostate cancer is usually more easily treated when it is detected at an early stage.

    Prostate Cancer Survival Rates

    Answering the question of how curable is prostate cancer? first requires understanding what doctors mean when they refer to curability. Regardless of the type of cancer, doctors consider cancer cured when a patient remains cancer-free for a specified period after treatment. The higher the number of patients who stay cancer-free for five years or longer, the higher the curability of that particular disease.

    Prostate cancer, therefore, has one of the highest curability rates of all types of cancer, thanks in large part to early detection standards and advances in treatment, such as the stereotactic body radiation therapy offered by Pasadena CyberKnife. When the cancer is detected in the early local or regional stages that is, before the cancer has spread or when it has only spread to limited areas in the pelvic regions the five-year survival rate is nearly 100 percent.

    Survival rates decline significantly when cancer is detected at later stages however, the good news is that only about five percent of men are diagnosed after the cancer has become widespread throughout the body. In short, more than 90 percent of men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer live for five years or longer after treatment, making it one of the most curable forms of cancer.

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