Symptoms Of Prostate Disease

Frequent urination Weak urine stream Difficulty starting urination Burning sensation with urination Incomplete emptying of the bladder Blood or pus in the urine

Loss of erection Blood in semen Burning with ejaculation Low back pain Discolored semen Interrupted urine stream Frequent sensation of having a full bladder OR NO SYMPTOMS AT ALL

What Every Man Should Know
Q.  Who Gets Prostate Cancer?
A.  Possible risk factors for men: age (including being over 50); having a family history of the disease, and/or being African American. There is no known cause of prostate cancer, so a man's best defence against it is annual prostate exams to aid in early detection of the disease.

Q.  What Are Its Symptoms?
A.  Symptoms can include frequent urination; difficulty starting urination; incomplete emptying of bladder; blood or pus in urine; blood in semen; lower back pain; interrupted urine stream; weak urine stream, or no symptoms at all.

Q.  How Is It Detected?
A. Step One: Prostate cancer is initially detected through the use of two tests: a digital rectal exam (DRE) and a prostate specific antigen or PSA blood test. During a DRE, a doctor inserts a lubricated gloved finger into the rectum and presses against the prostate gland to check for abnormalities. The PSA blood test is used to detect elevated levels of certain protein that may indicate cancer.

Step Two: If the PSA and DRE tests are abnormal, follow up tests will be done. Transrectal ultrasound provides doctors with a three dimensional view of the prostate, so they can determine its size and location prior to biopsy. A needle biopsy is often performed in conjunction with a transrectal ultrasound. The surgeon samples small pieces of the prostate to determine whether BPH, prostatitis or cancer is present.

Q.  What Are The Options For Treatment?
A.  Prostate cancer is treated according to the state of the disease. Treatments could include, but are not limited to, surgery to remove all of the prostate gland, thereby removing the cancer; radiation therapy, which destroys the cancer cells; and hormone therapy, which shrinks the size of the tumor and slows its growth.

How Successful Is Treatment?
A.  Prostate cancer is more easily treated and cured when detected early. If prostate cancer spreads beyond the prostate, the outlook is less favorable. Once the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and other organs, there is no cure, only treatment of the disease.

Q.  What Are The Possible Side Effects of Treatment?
A.  The most serious side effects resulting from prostate surgery are impotence and incontinence (loss of bladder control). Impotence may result if the nerves to the penis, which are very close to the urethra, need to be removed during surgery. Incontinence may result if the prostate is removed, because the bladder may lose its ability to hold back urine.

Q.  Can I Protect Myself?
A.  Long-term clinical tests to find a method of prevention are now underway. But for now, two simple tests, a digital rectal exam (DRE) and a prostate specific antigen (PSA) performed on schedule can aid in the early detection of prostate cancer..

Guidelines For Prostate Screening:
All men over the age of 50 should have an annual digital rectal exam (DRE) and a prostate specific antigen (PSA). Men with a family history of prostate cancer should check with their doctors about beginning annual exams at age 40.

Also check out Facts About Prostate Health and What's All the Talk About Prostate Cancer?