Prostate cancer can spread to your legs; the warning sign men should not ignore
Overview Of Metastatic Prostate Cancer
When prostate cancer spreads beyond your prostate gland, it's called metastatic prostate cancer. This is considered an advanced form of prostate cancer.
The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system located beneath your bladder. Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer worldwide.
When prostate cancer spreads, it metastasizes to your bones from 85–90% of the time. It can also spread to your lungs, liver, or brain, as well as other organs in some cases.
There's no cure for metastatic prostate cancer today, but it's treatable.
When prostate cancer spreads beyond your prostate gland, it often ends up in nearby your lymph nodes.
Your lymphatic system is involved in fighting off diseases, and your lymph nodes act like filters within this system. When cancer cells are filtered by a lymph node, they're usually destroyed. But sometimes they might pass through and travel through your body until they attach somewhere else.
Prostate cancer cells can travel through your lymph fluid or your blood stream in order to spread.
Prostate cancer often doesn't have any obvious symptoms in the early stages. Some of the symptoms you might experience with prostate cancer include:
Because metastatic prostate cancer generally spreads to your bones, you might experience more specific symptoms such as:
Anyone who has a prostate is at risk of having prostate cancer. In the United States, about 13% of people with a prostate develop prostate cancer at some point in their life.
Prostate cancer is uncommon for those younger than 45 years, and the risk continues to increase with age.
People with close relatives who have had prostate, breast, or ovarian cancer have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.
African Americans are at a higher risk of prostate cancer than other groups and tend to have more advanced prostate cancer at the time of diagnosis and at younger ages.
Metastatic prostate cancer is generally divided into two types.
The first type is metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. This type responds to hormone therapy treatments. When you first receive a diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer, this is generally the default diagnosis because, in most cases, you haven't undergone any hormone therapies yet.
The second type is metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. This type doesn't respond to hormone therapy, meaning that the cancer continues to grow or spread even after these treatments are used.
Prostate cancer is very common. Close to 13% of all people with a prostate in the United States are expected to have prostate cancer at some point in their lives.
The United States Preventive Services Task Force, a nongovernmental advisory group, recommended against a type of prostate cancer preventive screening called a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test in 2012, advising that false positives were causing more harm than early diagnoses were preventing.
Since that time, the likelihood that prostate cancer is metastatic at the time of diagnosis has increased significantly.
Because metastatic prostate cancer often interacts with your bones, and especially the bones in your spine, one complication is spinal cord compression. Spinal cord compression, in turn, can sometimes lead to neurological issues.
Other complications may occur as a result of treatments such as surgery, each of which carries its own risks.
The main way a doctor will diagnose metastatic prostate cancer is with a biopsy.
This means that a doctor will take tissue samples from your prostate to be examined under a microscope. A biopsy may be guided by imaging techniques such as MRI scan or ultrasound, but not always. This will show whether you have prostate cancer.
Once it's determined you have prostate cancer, additional tests will be needed to see if it's spread, or metastasized. If it has, you'll receive a diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer. These tests could include:
A relative survival rate compares how long a group of people with a disease is likely to live as compared with a similar group of people without prostate cancer. It's only an average and doesn't take into account your own unique circumstances.
People who received a diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer have a 5-year relative survival rate of 32%.
Let's briefly look at some other questions related to metastatic prostate cancer.
What are the TNM stages of metastatic prostate cancer?The TNM method stages cancer by providing three different scores. Lower numbers generally mean less advanced cancer than higher numbers. The three scores relate to:
Metastatic prostate cancer will have any T or N number with an M number of 1.
What are the PSA levels in metastatic prostate cancer?PSA is a protein made by your prostate. Prostate cancer cells can also make PSA.
If a PSA test reveals that you have high PSA levels, it could be a sign of prostate cancer. There are other conditions that can also raise your PSA, though. So elevated PSA levels are usually not enough evidence to diagnose prostate cancer on their own.
A PSA level above 4 indicates about a 25% chance of having prostate cancer, and a PSA level above 10 indicates about a 50% chance of having prostate cancer.
Is metastatic prostate cancer terminal?Metastatic prostate cancer isn't necessarily terminal. While there isn't a known cure, it can respond to treatment and be controlled in many cases.
Metastatic prostate cancer is a type of cancer that begins in your prostate and has then spread to other parts of your body. The most common place for prostate cancer to metastasize is your bones.
While metastatic prostate cancer is an advanced stage of cancer, there are also many treatments available.
If you believe you might have a higher risk of prostate cancer, consider talking with a doctor about whether prostate cancer screening might be a good option for you.
Calculating Life Expectancy
Life expectancy is calculated as the number of years a person is expected to survive based on the statistical average.
The starting point used to calculate life expectancy is age-specific death rates among members of the relevant population. When plenty of data are available for a population, these age-specific death rates can be calculated simply by looking at the mortality rates for a given age. However, this method does not take into account any of the random statistical fluctuations between years of age and, today, several methods are used to adjust the data for these fluctuations such as the following:
The data needed to predict life expectancy in humans is relatively easy to identify compared with acquiring the data for industrial products or wild animals, for example. For wild animals, life expectancy can often only be calculated by capturing, marking and recapturing the animals. For long-lived products such as the components used in aircrafts for example, the life expectancy is calculated based on models such as accelerated aging.
To calculate the age-specific death rates, different data groups that are believed to be associated with different mortality rates (such as smokers versus non-smokers, for example) are considered separately. The data are then used to draw up a life table or actuarial table. These tables can be used to predict how likely it is that a person of a given age will die before their next birthday. From here, several points can be calculated, including:
What Are The Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer And How Common Is It?
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletterStay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter
Colin McFarlane's announcement that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer is the latest reminder to millions of the importance of being on the lookout for this pernicious disease and its first symptoms.
The Dark Knight star, 61, said that he has been regularly testing for cancer after a fellow actor who was treated for it 17 years ago told him about its prevalence among Black men.
McFarlane, also known for his roles in Doctor Who and Outlander, explained that both he and his brother found out about the cancer after taking a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which can be given to men without symptoms after a consultation with a doctor.
He is far from the only celebrity to have been diagnosed with the cancer. Last year, Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor announced that he had discovered the disease in late August, whilst musician and TV presenter Jools Holland also received a diagnosis after a routine blood test in 2014.
Also in August, former BBC Breakfast host Bill Turnbull died of the same condition at the age of 66. He was diagnosed in 2017 and took a leave of absence from his Classic FM radio show in October 2021 to focus on his health.
In a 2018 interview with The Radio Times, Turnbull said he asked his doctor to stop treating him with chemotherapy after eight rounds, saying he "couldn't bear it any longer".
For McFarlane, doctors were able to catch the disease in its very early stages because he tests for it regularly. He will not require treatment but will be "regularly monitored with PSA blood tests every three months and an MRI (or magnetic resonance imaging scan) once a year".
"As it's a very slow-moving cancer I am in the best possible position to ascertain what treatment I would need in the future if that were ever deemed necessary, and currently that scenario is a long way off," he said.
Colin McFarlane attends the "The Commuter" New York Premiere at AMC Loews Lincoln Square on January 8, 2018
(Getty Images)
"It's men who take no action and don't know anything about their prostate health that are at the greatest risk."
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in the UK, affecting approximately one in eight men during their lifetime.
While the condition is more likely to affect men over the age of 50, it can be diagnosed at a younger age.
From symptoms to treatment, here's everything you need to know about prostate cancer.
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is a cancer that occurs in the prostate gland, a small gland located at the base of the bladder.
The main function of the prostate gland, a male reproductive organ, is to secrete prostate fluid. Prostate fluid mixes with sperm to create semen.
The prostate gland is about the size of a walnut, but enlarges as men age.
(Getty Images)
It surrounds the first part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen.
When prostate cancer develops in the prostate gland, this usually occurs in the outer gland cells of the prostate, Cancer Research UK states. These cells are called acinar adenocarcinomas.
Cancer occurs when abnormal cells begin to divide and grow uncontrollably.
According to Cancer Research UK, the majority of cases of prostate cancer grow slowly and do not usually spread to other parts of the body.
When prostate cancer has spread to another part of the body, it becomes known as advanced prostate cancer.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of prostate cancer may include needing to urinate more frequently; having to rush to the toilet; straining to urinate; feeling as though your bladder has not fully emptied while going to the toilet; and blood in urine or semen, the NHS outlines.
The NHS adds that these symptoms may not necessarily be indicative of prostate cancer.
Older men may experience similar symptoms due to prostate enlargement, which is a non-cancerous condition.
Signs that prostate cancer has spread to other areas of the body may include back, hip or pelvis pain; erectile dysfunction; blood in urine or semen; and unexplained weight loss, Prostate Cancer UK states.
For more information about prostate cancer symptoms, visit the Prostate Cancer UK website here.
What are the causes?
While it is not known what causes prostate cancer, several factors may increase one's risk of developing the condition.
These include being over the age of 50; whether one has a brother or father who developed prostate cancer before turning 60; being overweight; and following an unhealthy diet, the NHS states.
Those of African or African-Caribbean descent may also be at greater risk of being diagnosed with the condition.
How common is it?
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in the UK, Prostate Cancer UK states.
Around 47,500 men across the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer on an annual basis.
Approximately 35 per cent of new cases of prostate cancer every year are among men aged 75 and over.
Prostate cancer can affect anyone with a prostate gland, which can include men, transgender and non-binary people.
How can it be treated?
Some diagnosed with prostate cancer will not require any treatment at all, the NHS states.
A person's treatment may depend on whether their prostate cancer is localised in the prostate gland or has spread to other parts of the body.
The NHS explains that a patient with cancer should be cared for by a team of specialists, called a multidisciplinary team.
This team of medical professionals may include oncologists, radiographers and specialist nurses, among others.
The NHS adds that treatment for prostate cancer is undertaken to either cure the disease, or control symptoms so that they do not shorten a patient's life expectancy.
Some older men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer may be advised to carry out "watchful waiting", which is when they keep a close eye to see whether or not they develop any progressive cancer symptoms.
They may also be told to do "active surveillance", which involves undergoing tests such as MRI scans and biopsies while avoiding other treatments deemed "unnecessary".
Other treatments that patients diagnosed with prostate cancer may undergo include radical prostatectomy, which is the surgical removal of the prostate gland; radiotherapy; hormone therapy; and chemotherapy.
If a person's prostate cancer has become too advanced, then it may not be able to be cured.
However, treatments such as radiotherapy, hormone treatment and chemotherapy may slow down its progression.
For more information about prostate cancer treatment options, visit the NHS website here.
For all the latest health news, click here.
Comments
Post a Comment