September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. It’s an important time to raise awareness of this deadly – but preventable – disease.
Prostate Cancer… Did You Know?
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer (other than non-melanoma skin cancer) diagnosed in men in the United States. Furthermore, it’s the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, after lung cancer, in the United States.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), almost all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas. These cancers begin in cells that make and release mucus and other fluids. Prostate cancer often has no early symptoms. While advanced prostate cancer can cause men to urinate more often or have a weaker flow of urine, these symptoms can also result from benign prostate conditions.
If detected early, those diagnosed with prostate cancer have a 98% survival rate. If detected late, there is just a 26% survival rate beyond 5 years.
What the Heck is a Prostate Gland?
The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It’s about the size of a walnut and surrounds part of the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the bladder). The prostate gland produces fluid that makes up part of semen.
Only men have a prostate gland, which starts out as the size and shape of a walnut, but grows bigger as you age. It is located underneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra. Its main job is to help make semen.
How do you get Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer occurs when some of the prostate cells reproduce far more rapidly than normal, resulting in a tumor. Prostate cancer usually grows slowly initially, and that’s why early detection is key. But if those untreated cancer cells spread and invade other parts of the body like the bones or lymph nodes, then the cancer metastasizes and at that point, the cancer becomes difficult, if not impossible, to treat.
Signs and Symptoms
Unfortunately, not everyone experiences symptoms. Many times, prostate cancer is first detected by a doctor during a routine check-up. However, there are some signs you can look out for, most related to urinary or sexual funtion, such as:
-A need to urinate frequently, especially at night.
-Difficulty starting urination or holding it back.
-Weak or interrupted urine flow.
-Painful or burning urination
-Difficulty having an erection.
-Painful ejaculation.
-Blood in urine or semen.
-Frequent pain or stiffness in lower back, hips, or upper thighs.
When and How to and Who Should Get Screened
When you turn 50, schedule an appointment with your MD and talk about scheduling an annual PSA screening, which is a simple blood test used to determine the amount of Protate Specific Antigen (PSA) concentration in the bloodstream.
Screening options for prostate cancer, which include a digital rectal exam and a blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), often catch the disease before it spreads. As a result, the five-year survival rate is 97.9%.
The NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program estimated that 313,780 men in the United States would receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer in 2025. Furthermore, the NCI projected that 35,770 men would die of the disease.
According to SEER, prostate cancer is more common in older men, men with a family history of prostate cancer, and in men of African American descent. Other risk factors for prostate cancer include certain hormones, vitamin E, folic acid, and a high intake of dairy and calcium. In the United States, about 12.9% of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during their lifetimes.
Black men have the highest death rate for prostate cancer of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. Statistics show that in 2018-2022, Black men were about twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as white men. Scientists believe the disparity stems from both genetic and socioeconomic factors.
Pay Attention to Your Prostate!
The moral of this story? Pay Attention to Your Prostate! It’s there, it’s weird, but it’s not going anywhere, so take care of it!
—
Photo Credit: Image Point Fr / Shutterstock.com