Prostate Cancer Essay, Research Paper
Prostate cancer is a common form of cancer that has
affected most every man whether he knows it or not. There are
many factors and risks that can lead to this deadly cancer. With
the help of highly trained docters,fatalities can be can be
lowered,yet sometimes things still happen.
Prostate cancer is the cancer of the male reproductive
organ.The prostate make prosthetic fluid.The prostate also forms
semen,but the most important function of the prostate is to
regulate the acidity of the semen. Cancer is the collection of
abnormal cells that have forgotten how to die. Cancer cells
unlike normal cells can not die.
One way to find out if you have the cancer or if you do
not have the cancer is called a prostate exam. The exam is
basically a feel of the back wall of the prostate gland. What the
doctor is trying to feel for is any hard nodules, lumps or
irregularities. You shouldn?t have to have a annual exam, but it
just depends how experienced your doctor is. If the doctor finds
an irregularity, u shouldn?t wait for it to change.
When you are a child your prostate is about the size of a
pea.The body begins to make large amounts of male hormones
during puberty causing the prostate to grow rapidly.About
ninety five percent of the hormone is produced by the
testicles.Once your prostate has reached normal size it stops
growing until u have reached your sixties or seventys.This slow
increase leads to the condition called bengign prosthetic
hyperplasia.This is rarely a threat to your health ,but it can me
extremely uncomfortable.
There are many stages of prostate cancer,early stages and
late stages.The classic stages are A,B,C and D. The a stage
consist of cancer found incidentally or because of elevated PSA.
The b stage of cancer is made up of cancer found because of
abnormal digital rectal exam; cancer confined to prostate. The C
cancer is cancer spread to tissues outside of the prostate. Finally
the D cancer is cancer that has spread to lymph nodes or the
bone.
It is better to have one degree than the other.?It is always better
to have a smallvolume,low grade tumor than a lager,high-grade
cancer?says Dr. Sheldon Marks book Prostate and Cancer.
There is a unique feature of cancer cells. Cancer cells
have the ability to detach theirselves from their original site and
move to other parts of the body.This is a process that is just
recently beginning to be understood. Under normal
circumstances prostate cell is confined to the prostate,but when
the cell becomes cancerous it is able to leave its birthplace and
take up residence in other pa
celled and establish satellite or daughter cancer colonies in other
parts of the body is known as the process of metastasis? says
Dr.Marc B. Garnick?s book The Patients Guide to Prostate
Cancer.
As I just discussed cancer cell have the potential to spread
throughout the body. When prostate cancer is in early stages it is
confined within the prostate. It is in these early stages when
prostate cancer is curable. As the cancer grows it heads towards
the edge of the prostate. If it has enough time it can grow
through the outer edge of the prostate . This is called the prostate
capsule.? This is known as ?extra capsular extension? says
Dr.Kent Wallner?s book Prostate Cancer.
Prostate cancer is either curable or incurable. The way
you can tell if the cancer is curable is if the cancer is still
confined . If the cancer is still confined in the ate it is considered
curable. Prostate cancer that has metastasized to the lymph
nodes or to the bones is considered incurable. This means if the
cancer has spread outside the prostate and infected these parts it
is incurable.
There are six major treatments for curing prostate cancer.
The first treatment is called cryosurgery. Cryosurgery is the
freezing of the prostate gland. The second major treatment is
seed implantation. This is simply placing radioactive seeds in
the prostate gland. The third major treatment is hypothermia.
Hypothermia is when heat is applied to the prostate gland,and
this will shrink the cancer. This will eventually destroy the
cancer. The fourth major treatment is Radical prostatectomy.
This is the sergical removel of the cancerous prostate gland. The
fifth mahor treatment is called external beam radiation therapy.
This is when the prostate is shot at by beams of focused x-rays.
The purpose of this is to shrink the cancer infected cells. The
sixth and last major treatment is the Bilateral orchiectomy. This
is the surgical removel of the testes to lower the testosterone
level in the body.
There are many mistakes made by doctors and patients.
One cmmen mistake made by patients is failing to learn about
the cancer and the best way to heal themselves. This can be very
hurtfull to the patient. A comen mistake made by doctors is
intimadidating protae cancer victims to undergo immidiate
treatment before explaining the varios treatments. This can be
very hazerdious to victems.
Truly prostae cancer is a very dangerous cancer. This form of cancer
has taken many elderly men lives. Wih the higly trained physicians and newly
found treatments docters ave tried to lower the amount af fatalities.