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