Cancer of the prostate in the cells of the prostate gland of the male reproductive tract. The prostate is mainly used to secrete some of the liquid (seminal) which, combined with sperm from the testicles, sperm shape. The prostate cancer is the leading cancer threat to men in North America.
Risk factors:
Age – over 80% of prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over 65 years
Family history – having a father or brother with prostate cancer increases the risk of double
Race – black men are more likely to develop cancer of the prostate
Geography – prostate cancer is rare in Asia, Africa and South America
Body weight, physical inactivity – the obese and inactive men are affected by higher rates of prostate cancer.
Diet may be a crucial factor in prostate cancer
The fact that black men in Africa are much less frequently affected by prostate cancer than men of black Americans to believe that diet and lifestyle play a role in the etiology of the disease. Research has shown a relationship between diets high in fat and prostate cancer. According to some experts, inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables is concerned, the men whose diet is rich in fat are more often affected by cancer because they eat fewer vegetables. Besides fat, a high intake of dietary calcium, from milk products, has been linked to prostate cancer.
Symptoms
In general, prostate cancer tumors are small and produce no symptoms. Therefore, most of these tumors are detected only by blood or by surgical motivated by benign prostate, whose symptoms are often marked.
The large tumors, advanced, putting pressure on other organs, the bladder, causing incontinence or making urination difficult or painful. These tumors affect the nerves that cause erection, causing impotence. In the advanced stage tumors may also exert pressure on the spine or pelvis, causing pain. Some people feel pain or burning sensation when urinating or pain when ejaculating. Sometimes the urine or semen contains blood. Some men complain of pain or stiffness in lower back, hips or upper thighs.
Controversy over the usefulness of screening for prostate cancer
Currently, there are two detection techniques: examination of the prostate by digital rectal examination and testing of PSA.
* An examination of the prostate by digital rectal examination by a physician is the easiest, but least effective in detecting cancer of the prostate. Used alone, it can miss almost 50% of cancers.
* The test of PSA requires a blood test. It is to assess the level of presence in the blood of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a glycoprotein secreted by the prostate only with a level higher or lower may indicate a cancerous activity. The PSA test is a screening technique that has its limits. The combination of PSA and digital rectal examination is a screening tool more effective than PSA alone. This combination identifies 87% of prostate cancers. The probability of a man whose PSA and DRE are normal to have a prostate cancer is very low, about 0.5% to 1%.
Currently, there is controversy about the real benefits of using this test to detect prostate cancer in men who have no signs of cancer.
Even if the test shows an abnormally high PSA or a DRE is abnormal, this does not necessarily mean there is cancer. In fact, approximately 80% of those with one of the two tests is abnormal will not have prostate cancer. However, if the PSA level is high or if both tests are abnormal, the probability that found cancer is 50% or more.
To establish the diagnosis with more certainty, we must then take another step and use a third technique: the biopsy. The prostate biopsy involves inserting a needle into the prostate through the anterior wall of the rectum to remove a small piece of prostate tissue to be subjected to microscopic examination. The biopsy is a test that has some discomfort in humans. It is, however, without anesthesia, without hospitalization and with a very low percentage of complications.
The College of Physicians of Quebec and the Urological Association of Quebec do not recommend making the PSA test routinely as part of a health check without prior discussion with the patient the benefits and disadvantages screening using the PSA test in combination with digital rectal examination.
Before undergoing a PSA test for screening, a man should have a life expectancy of ten years and more, be informed of the advantages and disadvantages of the test and be prepared to undergo a prostate biopsy if the PSA or abnormal digital rectal examination proved. It should also be prepared to cope with uncertainties in choosing the best treatment if we discovered a prostate cancer after biopsy, particularly if the tumor was low grade.
Treatment
Compared to most other cancers, prostate tumors develop slowly and not so aggressive. They also tend to appear later in life. Smaller tumors, particularly among older men, are not made, and the strategy is to wait and monitor the tumor. The doctor conducts regular tests to make sure the tumor does not grow faster than expected.
* When the cancer has invaded other structures that the prostate should be administered cancer drugs and analgesics.
* When the cancer is still confined to the prostate, we resorted to surgery. The classic response is radical prostatectomy, ie d. total removal of the prostate.
* Sometimes the cancerous tissue is destroyed using a probe cold (cryosurgery) which freezes the tissue. This technique can also cause impotence. This intervention is relatively recent, and it is unclear if long-term effectiveness is as favorable as that of radical prostatectomy.
* Radiation therapy also aims to destroy the cancerous tissue. This treatment modality leads to a higher risk of impotence and incontinence.
* Hormone therapy aims to reduce levels of male hormones (or androgens), particularly testosterone. Prostate cancer cells require androgens to grow. The hormone also helps to reduce prostate size. This method does not cure cancer but can be used before surgery.
We mentioned the controversy in the medical world about the value and desirability of the practice tests. There is also controversy, much less publicized, when the value and usefulness of treatments available to fight against cancer of the prostate.
Other options
Let the opinion of 2 famous American physicians, Dr. William Campbell Douglas MD and Dr. Julian Whitaker MD
For both physicians, the current conventional treatments against cancer of the prostate will one day be regarded as barbarians. They believe that the risk of side effects to treatment are too high compared to the results obtained. In the vast majority of cases of prostate cancer develops very slowly. They share the view of many doctors, that most men with prostate cancer die with their prostate cancer, but not because of him.
They advocate the use of natural methods of treatment effective in prevention but also treatment:
A change in lifestyle is of course essential. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Reduce consumption of red meat and saturated fats and increase good fats, especially omega-3 found in fish.
The regular light exercise and relaxation technique (fatigue and stress are contributing factors in cancer cases).
They particularly recommend:
* Saw Palmetto (see this plant in our herbarium) “zinc 10 to 50 mg daily) and selenium (200 mcg per day) Brazil nuts
* Pumpkin seeds
* Daily consumption of foods rich in lycopene (cooked tomatoes, watermelon or watermelon, grapefruit)
* Regular consumption of fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, tuna, rich in fatty acids of type
Omega-3
* Vitamin D (from 1000 to 2000 IU per day)
* Pomegranate juice (250 ml daily)
* Linseed freshly ground, ½ cup per day. Several studies in the United States and Germany showed a marked decrease in proliferation of cancer cells in men who add 30 grams of ground flaxseed to their daily diet.
Dr. William Campbell MD also recommends a supplement of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). It refers to an animal study published in Anticancer Research. This study demonstrated that CLA reduced by 90% the progression of prostate cancer induced in one group of mice. The recommended dosage is 3 x 1.000mg daily.
Of course if we are in the presence of prostate cancer advanced etsSi of tumor cells are released into the bloodstream, they can migrate to other parts of the body and begin to divide form new tumors. This migration is called metastasis. The new tumors are called metastases. This advanced stage of prostate cancer need to follow other specific treatments for this condition should be decided with the doctor.
In the presence of a diagnosis of prostate cancer it is very important to analyze all options, their therapeutic potential, as well as any consequences thereof.
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