| A guide on how to prevent, detect and survive | | | | rudimentary of them all is the rectal analysis which is |
| prostate cancer. | | | | conducted to determine whether there is an |
| Prostate cancer claims its turf silently. The tumor | | | | enlargement of the prostate gland. The DRE, as it is |
| grows in the prostate gland discreetly without any | | | | referred to, is the ingenuous process of inserting a |
| obvious symptoms until an advanced stage of | | | | gloved and lubricated finger into the back passage to |
| growth is reached. The symptoms that do show up | | | | actually feel the prostate gland to determine its size. |
| at this stage are too mellow to be associated with | | | | Ultrasound test, a more refined version of this test, |
| something as serious as cancer, and men usually | | | | is performed by inserting an ultrasound probe instead |
| ignore them attributing them simply to signs of | | | | of the customary finger of the rectal analysis. |
| advancing age. | | | | Another noteworthy procedure that joins this league |
| Any man will get Prostate Cancer if he lives long | | | | is the biopsy where small cylindrical tissue cores are |
| enough. How come? 70% of all men above 90 have | | | | extracted from the prostate gland itself by the use |
| a tumor of some kind in his prostate gland. Nobody is | | | | of a probe with a special spring loaded needle. These |
| immune to this deadly cancer. The only means of | | | | samples are then analyzed under a microscope to |
| protection is to know it in and out and to detect it | | | | detect instances of cancerous growth. |
| early on. | | | | Although these tests sound macabre and intimidating, |
| Billions have been spent on researching Prostate | | | | there is a blood test that could determine Prostate |
| Cancer and none of that has resulted in a solid | | | | Cancer. The PSA test (Prostate Specific Antigen |
| conclusion as to how it is caused although some | | | | test) is performed by extracting a blood sample from |
| factors that influence its formation have been | | | | the patient and analyzing this sample for abnormally |
| identified conclusively. For instance, the age of a | | | | high levels of a particular antigen produced in the |
| person affects the probability of cancer considerably. | | | | prostate gland, high levels of which are a telltale sign |
| The older you are the higher is your chance of | | | | of Prostate Cancer. |
| having prostate cancer. Men of African-American | | | | When prostate cancer is detected early on, there is |
| descent are genetically predisposed towards prostate | | | | a very high probability of achieving a complete cure |
| cancer, and so are men who habitually consume a | | | | without a possibility of recurrence. Early detection of |
| diet rich in fat and predictably so. | | | | Prostate Cancer is the key to a successful cure since |
| It is quite possible to detect prostate cancer before | | | | for a case where the tumor growth has advanced to |
| it reaches an advanced stage through one of the | | | | the bones; even surgery simply fails to cut it, literally. |
| various tests that are available. The most | | | | |