Prostate cancer is often found by doctors before men show any symptoms or signs of the disease. Signs are different from symptoms in a way that signs are detected by doctors through physical examinations and laboratory work. Symptoms, on the other hand, are what patients can see and feel.
Prostate Cancer Signs
* Prostate size or shape is abnormal. The presence of bumps in the prostate can be detected during a rectal examination.
* Increased PSA levels – If there is an elevation in the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels, this can be a sign of cancer, but not definitive, as there may be other causes of PSA level elevation.
* Enlargement of the bladder – This can be detected through physical examination or ultrasound and MRI. Doctors would be looking for enlargement and the restriction of urine.
* Lesions on the bone – Other causes may be possible, but lesions on the bone as seen on a CT scan or other tests can be sign of cancer.
* Enlargement of the lymph nodes – If there is cancer in the prostate, it often attacks the lymph nodes near the groin area and causes the nodes to expand.
After a confirmed diagnosis of your cancer and your oncologist tells you the grade and stage of your condition, your doctor will make an evaluation and make a suggestion on the best possible treatments.
Possible Treatments
* Surgical treatment – Doctors would want to eradicate the cancer tissues from the prostate and other nearby organs that may be affected. They would also want to prevent its spread to other organs that do not have cancer cells. The most common surgery being performed as treatment for prostate cancer is radical prostatectomy where surgeons effectively remove the prostate organ and the nearby vesicles.
* Radiation – This is done by using x-rays or radiation to completely kill all cancer tissues that are present in the body of the patient. It damages the DNA that cancer needs in order to spread.
* Hormone Treatment – The hormone testosterone can help multiply and spread prostate cancer cells. A patient can then undergo hormonal therapy in order to restrict the growth, production, and use of these hormones.
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