Canadian HealthCare News: The Prostate

Unfortunately, the more rapidly growing and thus more lethal versions of the disease, tend to occur in younger men, but are rare in men under 40. As with most cancers, your risk increases if your close relatives have or had it (your prostate cancer risk doubles if your brother or father had the disease). The death toll remains unacceptably high, with prostate cancer running second to lung cancer as the leading causes of cancer death among American men. the prostate

Until recently, the PSA test was included in annual physical examinations of men 50 years of age and older. However, this recommendation was recently changed because many years of study demonstrate this test may do more harm than good. Unfortunately, large numbers of men with high PSA values ended up going through the unnecessary anxiety, discomfort and possible physical injuries that may result from prostate cancer evaluation, including ED and urinary incontinence, only to discover that they did not have the disease. Disappointingly, this test that healthcare providers initially celebrated for its promise of providing a simple screening solution for early prostate cancer identification, was eventually found to provide results that confused examiners and caused unnecessary stress for patients. Currently, decision-making regarding prostate cancer screening now involves weighing potential risks and benefits of screening. What remains unchanged is the global common sense recommendation that all men participate in a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise, a well-balanced diet, plenty of rest, and minimizing stress. Official canadian health care mall website use this url: http://www.canadianhealthcaremalll.com

Symptoms, or early warning signs, of prostate cancer may include the urinary difficulties also seen with BPH including trouble starting, stopping, or completing urination, weak or interrupted urine flow, erectile dysfunction, and pelvic or abdominal pain or pressure.

Two tests are used to screen for prostate cancer. Test 1 is the well-known and much-feared digital rectal examination (DRE), the test used by healthcare providers for identifying potentially cancerous lumps on the prostate. In the DRE the physician inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum and gently palpates the prostate which abuts the rectum. Interestingly enough, most men find the anxiety associated with thinking about the exam much worse than the actual exam itself. Common post-exam reports from patients tend to run along the lines of, “While I wouldn’t want to do that every day, it really wasn’t that bad. It was just a few seconds of a very strange and slightly uncomfortable pressure that made me want to urinate.” Test 2 is the PSA. Again, no longer recommended as a screening test by itself, this test can provide value if the examiner finds a potentially worrisome area on the prostate during the DRE. The PSA detects levels of a protein called prostate-specific antigen and, in general, the higher a patient’s PSA level, the greater the likelihood cancer is present. Should the combination of these tests suggest the possibility of prostate cancer, the next step is biopsy of the gland. While biopsy provides no ironclad guarantee, it does provide the best opportunity for knowing whether or not an area of concern is cancerous.

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