Cancer ribbon colors: Chart and guide
How Each Prostate Cancer Stage Differs From The Other
Prostate cancer occurs when cells in the prostate, which is the organ located below your bladder and in front of your rectum, begin to multiply abnormally, leading to a tumour. When this happens, a person may not experience any symptoms or may show some signs, depending on the stage of progression.
In general, prostate cancer, like any other cancer, has four stages, says Dr Bhuvanesh N Aradhya, Consultant - Urology and Kidney Transplant Surgeon, HCG Suchirayu Hospital, Hubli. While the first stage is the earliest, stage four indicates that the cancer has spread to different organs in the body, the doctor explains. In this article, we delve deeper into the different stages of prostate cancer and discuss the importance of regular screening and early detection.
Also Read: Frequent Urination To Blood In Urine, Symptoms That Should Urge You To Get Tested For Prostate Cancer
What Are The Different Stages Of Prostate Cancer?Breaking down prostate cancer stages into four categories, Dr Aradhya shares:
Stage 1: In this stage, the cancer is confined to the prostate gland. In this stage, the tumour cannot be felt by clinical examination and can most likely be seen in imaging studies (CT scan or MRI). According to the doctor, in this stage, the cancer involves less than 5% of the gland, and symptoms are usually similar to those of prostate enlargement, like frequency, urgency, poor stream, and incomplete emptying of the bladder. Most cardinal symptoms would be blood in the urine, he adds.
Stage 2: In this stage, the tumour is confined to the prostate gland but can be felt during physical examination. The symptoms in this stage are also similar to those in the first stage, where blood in the urine is a telltale sign. The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) levels may be slightly higher than the normal range of 4 mg/dl.
Stage 3: In this stage, the tumour tends to grow outside the prostate and may have spread to tissues next to the prostate gland, which include the rectum, bladder, and urethral sphincter. Most of the patients in these stages require treatment. In fact, in stages 1 and 2, the tumours can be removed completely, setting one free of the disease. In stage 3, patients may require multimodality treatments like hormonal treatment followed by surgery tailored according to the patient.
Stage 4: In this stage, the cancer has spread to different organs of the body, like the liver, bones, lungs, and lymph nodes. This stage can only be controlled, where patients may receive only treatments aimed at controlling the disease rather than a cure. General weakness, loss of weight, and easy fatigability are common symptoms at this stage.
Role Of Early DetectionDr Ardhya says, "Early detection of prostate cancer is extremely important, as the cancer can be removed completely in the early stages."
"Complete removal of the tumour will lead to normal life and cancer-free survival," he emphasises.
According to Cancer Research UK, almost everyone will survive their cancer for five years or more after they are diagnosed in the early stages, or stage 1 or 2.
Around 95 out of every 100 men will survive their cancer for five years or more after diagnosis in stage 3, whereas only around 50% will survive their cancer after they are diagnosed in stage 4, the charity suggests.
Understanding The Risk Factors And Reducing The ChanceSome of the common risk factors for prostate cancer include:
According to Dr Aradhya, regular screening for prostate cancer includes yearly PSA levels in the blood and a clinical examination by a urologist.
"If there is a strong history of prostate cancer in the family (more than one male in the family suffered from this cancer), the screening should be started at 40 years of age," he stresses, adding that for other men, the screening can be started after 50 years of age.
The doctor further warns against smoking and the consumption of tobacco and encourages following a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
He concludes, "Regular screening can make a huge difference in the outcomes of this deadly disease.
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Signs, Symptoms Of Benign Prostate Hyperplasia
KUTV — Have you ever heard of BPH? Otherwise known as benign prostate hyperplasia.
BPH is a common condition where the prostate gland enlarges as men age, causing urinary symptoms such as frequent or urgent need to urinate, difficulty starting or stopping urination, and weak urine flow.
While not cancerous, BPH can significantly impact quality of life.
Dr. O'Hara and Andrea Slack spoke to Kari about about BPH symptoms and where you can go to get help for this condition.
For more information visit ciccenters.Com
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Drugs For Enlarged Prostate 'may Protect Against Common Form Of Dementia'
Drugs commonly used to treat enlarged prostate symptoms may also protect against a common form of dementia, scientists believe.
Researchers found men who took terazosin, doxazosin, and alfuzosin were 40% less likely to develop dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) compared with those taking other prostate drugs.
The team said there are no drugs currently available to stop or slow the progressive disorder that affects around 100,000 people in the UK, so these "promising" medicines have the "potential to greatly reduce its effects".
Jacob Simmering, assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa in the US, said: "These results are exciting because right now there are no drugs to prevent or treat dementia with Lewy bodies, which is the second most common neurodegenerative type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease.
"If we can determine that an existing drug can offer protection against this debilitating disease, that has the potential to greatly reduce its effects."
DLB is a progressive disorder that causes memory, thinking and movement problems, as well as issues such as confusion and hallucinations.
It is more common in people over 65 and tends to develop slowly and get gradually worse over several years.
Terazosin, doxazosin, and alfuzosin belong to a class of drugs known as alpha blockers, which help ease urinary symptoms by relaxing the muscles of the bladder and prostate.
Previous research has shown drugs such as terazosin can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease – another neurodegenerative disorder – by boosting energy production in brain cells.
For the study, published in the journal Neurology, the team looked at health records of more than 643,000 men with no history of DLB who were taking different types of prostate drugs.
The men were followed for an average of three years to see who developed DLB.
The team calculated that for those taking terazosin, doxazosin or alfuzosin, the rate of DLB cases was 5.21 per 10,000 people per year, while for those taking other prostate drugs such as tamsulosin and 5ARIs, the rates were 10.76 per 10,000 and 7.78 per 10,000 respectively.
Prof Simmering said: "More research is needed to follow people over time and determine whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship here, but it is promising to think that these drugs could have a protective effect on this disease that will likely affect a larger number of people as the population ages."
Commenting on the study, Dr Julia Dudley, head of research strategy at Alzheimer's Research UK said it was "encouraging to see large studies exploring whether drugs already licensed for other medical conditions could have a protective effect for the diseases that cause dementia".
She added: "As these drugs have already been shown to be safe for use in people, this could potentially speed up the process of testing in clinical trials.
"It is important to note, however, that this study only looked at whether people developed DLB or not, and future trials would be needed to confirm a causal link between the drug and progression of the disease.
"The study also only included male participants, despite females using the same drugs to treat urinary symptoms, highlighting the need for future research to include wider groups of people."
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