What is the real cause and cure for prostate cancer?
Overview of Prostate cancer:
Prostate cancer is the development of abnormal cells in the prostate gland. The prostate is the male’s reproductive system which is a small walnut shaped which is responsible to produce seminal fluid that nourishes and transport sperms.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer occurring in men. Many prostate cancers grow gradually where they can be cured with little to no treatment while some are aggressive that spreads rapidly. If prostate cancer is detected at an early stage, it can be easily cured or treated.
Radical prostatectomy is the most common prostate cancer treatment in India. Even Chemotherapy for prostate cancer India is a common form of treatment to kill the remaining cancerous cells.
What are the 5 warning signs of prostate cancer:
Prostate cancer may not show signs and symptoms in its early stages:
In advanced stages, prostate cancer may show signs and symptoms which includes the following:
- Bone pain
- Erectile dysfunction
- Trouble urinating
- Blood in the urine
- Blood in semen
- Unexplained weight loss
- Decares in the flow of urine
If you have any of the above symptoms, make an appointment with the best prostate cancer doctor in India.
What causes prostate cancer?
There is no significant cause of prostate cancer yet. However, doctors have a clear idea that prostate cancer develops when the cells in the prostate gland develop changes in their DNA. The DNA of the cells instructs the cells on what needs to be done. But when abnormal cells develop, they tell the cells to divide and multiply rapidly than normal cells. The abnormal cells continue to grow and healthy cells die eventually. These abnormal cells then spread or metastasized in the body and spread to other parts of the body.
These abnormal cells form a cancerous tumor that can grow and invade nearby tissue.
The question is how to avoid prostate cancer? Well, you cannot totally avoid but reduce the risk of prostate cancer by maintaining a healthy weight and diet, regular physical activity, limiting alcohol intake, and quitting smoking.
Risk factors:
The exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown however, there are risks pertaining to causes of prostate cancer:
- Old age:
Prostate cancer is most likely to be developed in older age, say, after the age of 50 years.
- Race:
Yes, race can be another factor causing the risk of prostate cancer. It is said that black people are more likely to diagnose with the risk of prostate cancer compared to other races. It is also aggressive and advanced in black people.
- Obesity:
People who are obese (overweight) may have higher risk of prostate cancer compared to people who are ideally fit and healthy. In obese people, it is more likely to be aggressive and relapse after the inital treatment.
- Family history:
You may be at high risk of prostate cancer if your family member may be father or son or a sibling is diagnosed with prostate cancer that is If you have a strong family history of prostate cancer or genes that increase the risk of cancer then you’re at risk of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer causes and risk factors:
- Smoking
- Diet
- Vasectomy
- Inflammation of the prostate
- Exposure to chemicals such as the herbicide Agent Orange
- Sexually transmitted infections
Cure for prostate cancer:
Prostate cancer or any other cancer for that matter when it reaches advanced stage or metastasis to other parts of the body, the curing process is difficult. However, it can be treated to relieve you of some pain and symptoms to make you feel better for some time. Due to advanced technologies and medicines, it is possible to treat advanced-stage prostate cancer. The treatment will highly depend on prostate cancer stages, types of prostate cancer, and your overall health condition.
How to cure prostate cancer?
“Prevention is better than cure.”
Cancer cannot be cured at its aggressive stage but can be treated to make you feel better for quite some time.
- Active Surveillance:
Prostate cancer can take a toll on everyone’s life – physically, emotionally, metally and relationships. It can cause side effects such as erectile dysfunction, problems in bowel movements etc. Prostate cancer can grow slowly and cause no symptoms. Hence, many people want to delay the treatment. This is known as active surveillance. Here, your cancer is closely monitored to check for signs it is worsening. If the cancer is worsening your treatment will begin immediately.
- Watchful waiting:
Watchful waiting may be an option for older adults with life-threatening disease who are expected to live less than 5 years. Hormonal therapy may be recommended to recover certain symptoms of prostate cancer.
- Surgery:
A prostatectomy is one possible treatment for prostate cancer at an early stage. The doctor may remove the prostate gland using either open surgery or laparoscopic.
- Radiation Therapy:
- Brachytherapy: A doctor wll implant radioactive seeds in the prostate to deliver targeted radiation treatment.
- Conformal radiation therapy: This therapy targets the specific area, minimizing the risk to the healthy tissue. Another type called intensity modulated radiation therapy uses beams with variable intensity.
- Advanced Prostate Cancer:
As cancer grows, it may spread throughout the body. If it spreads and comes back even after remission, the treatment option will change.
- Chemotherapy:
This may kill cancerous cells in the body but it also causes adverse side effects.
- Hormonal Therapy:
Lupron is a kind of hormonal therapy used by the doctor to treat prostate cancer.
The treatment depends on various factors. Doctors will discuss and provide the best solution. Surgery is not recommended by doctors in the later stages as it doesn’t treat cancer that has spread throughout the body.
Although there are some new approaches that aims to treat prostate cancer without any side effects :
- Cryotherapy is the use of very cold temperature that kills cancerous cells in the prostate. It avoids side effects.
- High intensity focused ultrasound
After surgery, doctors will keep monitoring the PSA levels.
As soon as you’re experiencing prostate cancer symptoms and treatment can help relieve those signs and symptoms and make you feel better.
Please note: Treatment is different from curing the disease. Curing is when the disease will not come back and treatment is providing temporary relief with help of effective treatments.
Cancer Care and Cancer Awareness is seen in most countries. Africa is one of them. Initially, they didn’t have health care services for cancer patients but gradually places like Kenya, Botswana and Rwanda have started to provide cancer care. Former Kenya minister, Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o described his prostate cancer in 2011. Cancer deaths are increasing in numbers yearly, and it continues to do until 2030. Cancer awareness is on top of the agenda of the government. The earlier it is diagnosed, the sooner and better the person recovers.
Now when services are available in Africa, the cost is the problem with the few. Some cannot afford the treatment as it is expensive compared to other countries. India is one such country where the treatment is affordable. People with high-income get covered financially for most forms of cancer treatment unlike the middle and lower income people. The burden of cancer is increasing in African countries due to ageing, chronic infections and unhealthy lifestyle. However, access to cancer treatments is limited. For those who can afford but for those who can’t they have been untreated and undetected. If you are looking to get treated in Abroad, then make informed decisions.