Esophageal cancer
Prostate Cancer Symptoms, Warning Signs And Treatment
Dairy consumption linked to prostate cancer, with plant-based eating reducing riskResearchers were interested in dairy specifically because it's a main source of calcium in Western diets, and calcium suppresses the formation of a hormone that specifically inhibits the spread of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer found in American men.
The only type of cancer more common than prostate cancer is skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Symptoms of prostate cancer are usually minimal, or not experienced at all.
This common cancer is treatable when caught early, with a near 100% five-year survival rate for cancers that haven't spread beyond the prostate or have only spread to nearby areas, per the American Cancer Society.
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The survival rate plummets to 32% among stage IV cancer cases when the disease spreads to distant parts of the body.
FILE: An attending physician listens to a patinet. (Credit: REMKO DE WAAL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
Below is all you need to know about prostate cancer.
Any type of cancer starts when cells grow out of control in certain parts of the body. Nearly every part of the body can be affected by cancerous cells, and they can then spread to other parts of the body.
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Prostate cancer is a type of cancer found in men that begins in the prostate gland and can then grow beyond that in more severe cases.
2. What are the types of prostate cancer?Most commonly, prostate cancer is adenocarcinomas, meaning it develops in the gland cells, according to the American Cancer Society.
There are other types of the cancer, according to the source, but these are rare.
Other types are small cell carcinoma, neuroendocrine tumors, transitional cell carcinomas and sarcomas.
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In general, prostate cancer grows very slowly. In fact, many people who have it die from other causes without ever knowing that they had the cancer, according to the ACS.
3. What are the signs and symptoms?"The most common symptom is no symptom at all," Dr. Christopher Anderson, a urologist with New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, told Fox News in 2017.
Some men may experience symptoms like pain in the bones and weight loss when the cancer has already spread, Anderson said.
Dr. Philip Kantoff, a medical oncologist and chair of the department of medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, reiterated that the disease doesn't typically cause symptoms. Symptoms could instead be due to an enlarged or inflamed prostate, neither of which are cancerous.
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Dr. Ketan Badani, vice chairman of urology at Mount Sinai Health System, said that "some patients may have vague urinary complaints," like having to urinate more frequently, and that there aren't symptoms until the disease is advanced. The majority of men who have urinary issues don't have prostate cancer, he noted.
Advanced cases of prostate cancer may present with symptoms "with benign prostate conditions, including weak or interrupted urine flow; difficulty starting or stopping urine flow; the need to urinate frequently, especially at night; blood in the urine; or pain or burning with urination," per the ACS.
Further symptoms include pain in the hips, ribs and chest as well as numbness or weakness in the legs or feet.
4. What are some prostate cancer risk factors?Men ages 60 to 74 are considered more at risk, according to the SEER program.
Family history, "especially a first-degree relative like a father or brother" who has been diagnosed, is another concern, Badani added.
African, Afro-Caribbean, South Asian and Hispanic men are more at risk for "more aggressive" forms of prostate cancer, he said.
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For men of African descent, there's an increased risk of both prostate cancer diagnosis and dying from prostate cancer, Anderson said.
5. What should you do if you think you have prostate cancer?"A discussion with your physician is warranted before symptoms occur," Kantoff advised, adding that men should decide with their doctors if a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which looks at the level of PSA in blood, is right for them.
Badani recommended that men receive both annual digital rectal exams and PSA tests. Multiple PSA tests over time are a better indicator of potential concerns as opposed to a single test result, he explained.
If you're concerned you might have prostate cancer, speak to an internal medicine doctor or a urologist, Anderson recommended. He stressed that all patients with blood in their urine should see a urologist.
6. What should I know about PSA screening?PSA screening has been a controversial topic in the past. In 2012, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommended against PSA screening when it said "there is moderate certainty that the benefits of PSA-based screening for prostate cancer do not outweigh the harms."
PSA screening involves a simple blood test for elevated levels of a protein that may signal cancer but also can be caused by an enlarged or inflamed prostate. It can find cancer that doesn't need to be treated, as it's too small and slow-growing to become deadly. Radiation or surgery to remove the prostate may result in impotence and incontinence.
In 2018, the task force said in its final recommendation that men ages 55 to 69 should discuss potential benefits and negatives of a PSA screening with their physician before undergoing the test.
While a PSA screening has the potential to reduce the risk of death, negatives listed by the task force include "false-positive results that require additional testing and possible prostate biopsy; overdiagnosis and overtreatment; and treatment complications, such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction."
They do not recommend PSA screening in men ages 70 and above.
"Proper use of PSA is what I recommend from an early detection standpoint," Kantoff said.
Symptoms shouldn't be the motivating factor for screening, he said, saying it should instead be a decision in one's 40s about whether PSA testing should be done. He recommended that those with family history or people of African American descent think about early detection.
An analysis of previous clinical trials published in 2017 said screening lessened the risk of dying from prostate cancer by 25 to 32% compared to men who didn't get screened, a summary for patients explains online.
7. Is prostate cancer curable?Prostate cancer is curable, but many men choose not to treat it because of the typically slow progression and the fact that it usually stays in the prostate, according to Cleveland Clinic.
More severe cases of cancer are usually treated through radiation or surgery.
The Associated Press contributed reporting, as did Andy Sahadeo and Zoe Szathmary.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.Foxnews/lifestyle
Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital.
Find more updates on this story at FOXNews.Com.
What Are The Side Effects Of Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy On The Bowels?
Radiation therapy involves aiming radiation at cancer cells to damage their DNA. It can be a highly effective prostate cancer treatment but can also cause side effects involving your bowel.
About 1 in 4 people undergoing prostate cancer treatment receive radiation therapy. Two types of radiation therapy are used to treat prostate cancer:
Research suggests that every type of treatment for prostate cancer, including radiation therapy, causes numerous side effects. You can discuss these with your doctor when making treatment decisions. The side effects tend to improve over time across all treatment types.
In this article, we examine the possible short- and long-term bowel side effects of radiation therapy for prostate cancer.
Most radiation side effects begin within days to weeks after radiation treatment. Here are some of the potential short-term side effects.
Blood in stool after radiation for prostate cancerThe cells that line your rectum are extremely delicate and prone to radiation damage. Damage to these cells caused by radiation is called radiation proctitis.
Radiation proctitis can cause bleeding and blood in your stool, which has been estimated to occur in 5–20% of people receiving standard doses of radiation.
Mucus in stool after radiotherapy for prostate cancerSlimy mucus discharge in your stool is another possible symptom of radiation proctitis. Producing excess mucus is your body's way of protecting the lining of your bowel from damage.
Constipation after prostate radiationDamage to tissue in your bowels can slow the passage of stool through your digestive tract and lead to constipation.
In a 2022 study, researchers found that injecting a hydrogel into the tissue between the rectum and the prostate may help reduce gastrointestinal toxicity during prostate radiation therapy.
Compared with people in the study who were treated with the hydrogel, those who were not had higher rates of gastrointestinal symptoms, including:
Diarrhea is a common radiation therapy side effect that can develop due to damage to the outer layer of your bowel and rectum. It usually occurs 2–3 weeks after radiation therapy.
Frequent urge to go to the bathroomIrritation to the lining of your bowel may give you a persistent urge to have a bowel movement even when you don't need to.
Hemorrhoids after prostate radiationRadiation therapy might worsen hemorrhoid symptoms. People with hemorrhoids may also have a greater risk of developing gastrointestinal toxicity than people without hemorrhoids.
Flatulence and cramping after prostate radiationInflammation along the wall of your bowels may lead to constipation, which is associated with increased gas production and abdominal cramping.
Other symptomsMost side effects of pelvic radiation therapy are mild and go away within weeks. But this type of radiation therapy can also lead to serious symptoms such as:
The long-term bowel side effects are similar to the short-term effects but might not appear until long after treatment.
Chronic proctitisChronic proctitis develops more than 6 months after the initial radiation treatment. It can cause symptoms such as:
People treated with radiation therapy for prostate cancer seem to have a small risk of developing future bowel cancer.
In a 2018 review of studies, researchers found that people with prostate cancer who were treated with radiation therapy had a 36% greater chance of developing bowel cancer than people who were not treated with radiation therapy.
Short-term side effects usually appear near the end of your radiation treatment and in the following several weeks. Most short-term side effects go away within a few weeks.
Long-term side effects of radiation therapy may not appear for weeks or years after your treatment. They can last months and may never fully go away.
Here are some of the treatment options for the bowel side effects of radiation therapy.
Home remedies and lifestyle strategiesYou may be able to manage your symptoms by:
Over-the-counter and prescription products that may ease your symptoms include:
Medical treatmentPossible medical treatments include:
It's important to communicate regularly with your healthcare team while undergoing treatment and to alert them of any new or worsening side effects.
Here are some frequently asked questions people have about the side effects of radiation therapy for prostate cancer.
Does radiation of the prostate affect bowel movements?Radiation therapy can damage the cells that line your bowel, particularly your rectum. Damage to these cells can cause many side effects.
What bowel changes can occur after radiation therapy?You may notice changes in your bowel habits after undergoing radiation therapy, such as:
Radiation therapy can be a highly effective treatment for prostate cancer, but it can also cause many side effects that affect your bowel, such as diarrhea, constipation, and rectal bleeding.
Bowel symptoms can develop days or weeks after your treatment. Late side effects can develop months or years later. Radiation therapy may also slightly increase your risk of developing bowel cancer in the future.
Can Bananas Lower Your Risk Of Getting Prostate Cancer?
No credible research has specifically found that eating bananas lowers your risk of prostate cancer, but they can still be a good food to include in your diet to support your overall health.
The United States is the second biggest banana importer worldwide after the European Union.
Bananas have many potential benefits, such as:
Research from 2022 suggests that plant-based dietary patterns are associated with lower rates of prostate cancer and less aggressive forms of prostate cancer.
Read on to learn more about the link between bananas and prostate cancer.
Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables can potentially help you maintain your overall health and prevent disease. There are many reasons to include bananas in your diet, but no studies have found a link between banana consumption and lower prostate cancer risk.
In a 2017 study, researchers examined data from 142,239 men from eight European countries and found that higher fruit intake was associated with a small reduction in prostate cancer risk.
But the researchers noted in their conclusion that it's unclear whether eating more fruit decreased the risk of prostate cancer or whether other variables caused the link.
In the study, the researchers divided fruit into the following subtypes:
Of these three types, only citrus was associated with a significant trend toward lower prostate cancer rates.
There's no conclusive evidence that consuming bananas has a direct benefit for prostate cancer treatment.
That said, bananas contain many micronutrients that can help support your overall health while you're undergoing treatments such as radiation therapy or hormone therapy.
One medium-sized banana contains about 2 grams of fiber as well as more than 5% of your daily value (DV) of each of the following:
Learn more about prostate cancer treatment.
Prostate cancer can cause many symptoms, including:
Learn more about prostate cancer symptoms.
Yet there's no evidence that consuming bananas can help manage these symptoms.
Two small studies have found some theoretical evidence that banana products may reduce symptoms caused by a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia, also known as an enlarged prostate. Yet these are very early studies, and much more research is needed before drawing conclusions.
In the first study from 2018, researchers examined isolated human cells in a laboratory. The researchers suggest that banana flower extract may suppress an enlarged prostate by helping regulate the inflammatory response.
The second study from 2009 was conducted in mice. Researchers suggest that methanol extract from banana peels may help reduce enlarged prostate symptoms. Yet this research is older and was performed in animals, so more recent studies in humans are needed.
Researchers are still examining the relationship between diet and prostate cancer risk. A study from 2022 suggests that plant-based diets seem to be associated with lower overall prostate cancer risk.
Here's a summary of some of the nutrients that have at least some evidence to support the idea that they might reduce the risk of prostate cancer:
Learn more about which foods may be good for prostate health.
A 2023 study that looked at data collected from 1992–1996 suggests that a typical Western dietary pattern is associated with higher risks of prostate cancer than the Prudent and Mediterranean dietary patterns. Both these diets encourage a high intake of fruits and vegetables, fish, and seafood, as well as minimal consumption of processed foods.
Some foods that may increase your risk of prostate cancer are eaten too much in a typical Western diet. These include:
Some research from 2021 suggests that high fat diets are associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.
Some studies have also found a link between prostate cancer and dairy consumption, but other studies haven't found a connection. Due to this, the relationship remains unclear.
Learn more about foods to help prevent prostate cancer.
Bananas are filled with many nutrients that can help support your overall health. As of now, there's no evidence that they reduce your risk of prostate cancer. Yet they're unlikely to put you at a higher risk, and they have many other benefits.
Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, fish, and seafood and low in processed foods seems to be associated with lower rates of prostate cancer. These foods are often part of the Mediterranean diet.
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