Prostate cancer or prostatic cancer is a disease which occurs in the development of cancer / cancer in the prostate gland of the male reproductive system. It occurs when cells of the prostate mutate and begin to multiply out of control. These cells may spread (metastasize) from the prostate toward other parts of the body, especially the bones and lymph nodes. Prostate cancer may cause pain, difficulty in urinating, erectile dysfunction and other symptoms.
The incidence rates of this type of carcinome vary widely in the world: the cancer is least common in South and East Asia, more common in Europe and the Unidos.O cancer is less common among Asian men and most common among black men.
This type of cancer develops most frequently in men over 50 years old. Occurs only in males, since the prostate gland is unique to this sex. It is the most common cancer type in men in the United States, where it is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, behind only lung cancer. However, many men who develop prostate cancer have no symptoms and eventually die of other causes. Many factors, including genetics and diet, have been linked to the development of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is most often discovered by physical examination or monitoring of blood tests, as the test of "PSA" (stands for prostate specific antigen). Currently there is some concern about the accuracy of the PSA test and its usefulness. A suspected prostate cancer is typically confirmed by removing a sample of the prostate (biopsy) and examining it under a microscope. Other tests, such as X-ray and imaging to the bones, may be performed to determine whether prostate cancer has spread.
Prostate cancer can be treated with surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or some combination thereof protonterapia. The age and health of humans, as well as the extent of dispersion of the cells look under microscopic analysis and response of the cancer to initial treatment are important in determining the outcome of the disease. Since prostate cancer is a disease of older men, many will die of other causes before a slow progression of prostate cancer can spread or cause symptoms. This makes the choice of treatment is difficult to be used. The decision to treat or not a localized prostate cancer (a tumor that is contained within the prostate) with intent to cure is a dilemma between the expected benefits and possible harmful effects on survival and quality of life of the patient.
Treatment
The treatment of prostate cancer depends essentially on two parameters: the age of the patient and the tumor. The older patients, ie with a life expectancy less than 10 years, are usually treated with hormone therapy, i.e. therapy with hormonal suppression since prostate cancer is hormonodependente depending on the stimulation by androgens such as testosterone . This suppression can be achieved with hormonal castration (removal of the testes) or chemically (with drugs that inhibit the production or action of testosterone). It is a type of treatment that works only temporarily (2-4 years), but eventually allows the patients of this age die with their cancer and its not cancer.
When patients have a life expectancy exceeding 10 years or younger, must offer the patient a treatment with curative intentions, which is only possible if the disease is localized to the prostate. There are only three types of curative treatments for prostate cancer. That is considered more effective radical prostatectomy, which consists of surgical removal of the prostate and seminal vesicles. Allows survival after 10 years more than 90%, but with two major side effects: some degree of erectile dysfunction reaching 50 to 90% of patients and some urinary incontinence, usually transitory, within the first month but which may be permanent among 3 to 10% of patients. As an alternative to surgery, some patients opt for radiotherapy method, with less compromise of sexual function and without impact on urinary continence, but cure rates lower than surgery and does not devoid of significant side effects and also disabling such as stems rectite cystitis lies, or alteration of intestinal transit. Recently introduced a third type of treatment, prostate brachytherapy, interstitial a form of radiation therapy, which consists of the introduction of radioactive seeds in the prostate gland under anesthesia). This is a method that showed cure rates superimposable to radical prostatectomy, in well-differentiated cancers, but with far fewer side effects, and it is increasingly preferred by patients. In the U.S., where it has existed for about 15 years, is chosen by more than half of the patients.
Patients with metastatic disease (when the cancer has spread to other areas of the body) are treated with hormone therapy. Hormonal therapy, although not curative, can lead to long term remission, allowing an excellent quality of life. However, with time, prostate cancer can progress despite hormonal therapy. It is not clear why this happens, but it evolves into a state referred to as prostate cancer hormone-resistant, in which about 70% of patients have bone metastasis. The skeleton is the main target of this type of cancer metastasis and as the disease reaches this stage there is no standard effective therapy and generally patients have severe and debilitating bone pain and intense compression fractures or neurological structures which are associated with a decreased survival. However, recent research in this area has made great progress, motivating a renewed optimism. In recent years there have been some important new treatments, designing new ways to treat these patients and metastatic hormone-resistant. In addition to the substantial improvement in the treatment of pain through the use of novel analgesics, we now have two new drugs with proven results. The first is zoledronic acid, the class of bisphosphonates (a class of drugs that help rebuild and strengthen the bone). This drug has shown efficacy in a significant reduction of pain caused by bone metastases, and a decrease and delay the onset of complications such as bone metastases of fractures and the need for palliative radiotherapy .. The introduction of zoledronic acid consisted in a new and effective treatment of the complications of bone metastasis of prostate cancer. Are ongoing studies indicate the possibility of using this drug in an earlier stage in order to prevent the appearance of bone metastases in patients at risk. A second recently introduced drugs to treat hormone-resistant patients is docetaxel, a type of chemotherapy shown to increase survival in these patients significantly improving quality of life, and forming a new hope for patients hormone-resistant.
One of the most fascinating in prostate cancer is the chemoprevention, which consists in regular administration of chemicals, natural or synthetic, in order to prevent the appearance and Development also for prostate cancer. Some natural products such as lycopenes (abundant in tomatoes), the fitosteróides (abundant in soy), selenium, or vitamins A and D, have shown promising results. One of the most interesting studies in this area was the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, which showed a 25% reduction in the risk of developing prostate cancer in men who were taking daily 5 mg of finasteride, a drug that inhibits the activity of prostatic testosterone level , have been used for many years in benign prostatic hyperplasia. Another study, the REDUCE study, attempts to show similar results with another drug: dutasteride. The results are expected this year. This is certainly an area for future in oncology, which just now is taking its first steps.
In conclusion, although prostate cancer is very common, we now have many treatment alternatives, even in the later stages of the disease, enabling the patient with prostate cancer look to the future with hope.
Prevention
The probability of cure of prostate cancer is 90% when detected and treated early.
To fall within this is essential to make periodic diagnostic tests to detect the disease as early as possible, even without any symptoms.
Prostate cancer is asymptomatic in its initial level and, therefore, it is recommended that men should do urological examinations.
These examinations and these revisions must be made annually from age 50 (or 45, if there are family history).
The incidence rates of this type of carcinome vary widely in the world: the cancer is least common in South and East Asia, more common in Europe and the Unidos.O cancer is less common among Asian men and most common among black men.
This type of cancer develops most frequently in men over 50 years old. Occurs only in males, since the prostate gland is unique to this sex. It is the most common cancer type in men in the United States, where it is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, behind only lung cancer. However, many men who develop prostate cancer have no symptoms and eventually die of other causes. Many factors, including genetics and diet, have been linked to the development of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is most often discovered by physical examination or monitoring of blood tests, as the test of "PSA" (stands for prostate specific antigen). Currently there is some concern about the accuracy of the PSA test and its usefulness. A suspected prostate cancer is typically confirmed by removing a sample of the prostate (biopsy) and examining it under a microscope. Other tests, such as X-ray and imaging to the bones, may be performed to determine whether prostate cancer has spread.
Prostate cancer can be treated with surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or some combination thereof protonterapia. The age and health of humans, as well as the extent of dispersion of the cells look under microscopic analysis and response of the cancer to initial treatment are important in determining the outcome of the disease. Since prostate cancer is a disease of older men, many will die of other causes before a slow progression of prostate cancer can spread or cause symptoms. This makes the choice of treatment is difficult to be used. The decision to treat or not a localized prostate cancer (a tumor that is contained within the prostate) with intent to cure is a dilemma between the expected benefits and possible harmful effects on survival and quality of life of the patient.
Treatment
The treatment of prostate cancer depends essentially on two parameters: the age of the patient and the tumor. The older patients, ie with a life expectancy less than 10 years, are usually treated with hormone therapy, i.e. therapy with hormonal suppression since prostate cancer is hormonodependente depending on the stimulation by androgens such as testosterone . This suppression can be achieved with hormonal castration (removal of the testes) or chemically (with drugs that inhibit the production or action of testosterone). It is a type of treatment that works only temporarily (2-4 years), but eventually allows the patients of this age die with their cancer and its not cancer.
When patients have a life expectancy exceeding 10 years or younger, must offer the patient a treatment with curative intentions, which is only possible if the disease is localized to the prostate. There are only three types of curative treatments for prostate cancer. That is considered more effective radical prostatectomy, which consists of surgical removal of the prostate and seminal vesicles. Allows survival after 10 years more than 90%, but with two major side effects: some degree of erectile dysfunction reaching 50 to 90% of patients and some urinary incontinence, usually transitory, within the first month but which may be permanent among 3 to 10% of patients. As an alternative to surgery, some patients opt for radiotherapy method, with less compromise of sexual function and without impact on urinary continence, but cure rates lower than surgery and does not devoid of significant side effects and also disabling such as stems rectite cystitis lies, or alteration of intestinal transit. Recently introduced a third type of treatment, prostate brachytherapy, interstitial a form of radiation therapy, which consists of the introduction of radioactive seeds in the prostate gland under anesthesia). This is a method that showed cure rates superimposable to radical prostatectomy, in well-differentiated cancers, but with far fewer side effects, and it is increasingly preferred by patients. In the U.S., where it has existed for about 15 years, is chosen by more than half of the patients.
Patients with metastatic disease (when the cancer has spread to other areas of the body) are treated with hormone therapy. Hormonal therapy, although not curative, can lead to long term remission, allowing an excellent quality of life. However, with time, prostate cancer can progress despite hormonal therapy. It is not clear why this happens, but it evolves into a state referred to as prostate cancer hormone-resistant, in which about 70% of patients have bone metastasis. The skeleton is the main target of this type of cancer metastasis and as the disease reaches this stage there is no standard effective therapy and generally patients have severe and debilitating bone pain and intense compression fractures or neurological structures which are associated with a decreased survival. However, recent research in this area has made great progress, motivating a renewed optimism. In recent years there have been some important new treatments, designing new ways to treat these patients and metastatic hormone-resistant. In addition to the substantial improvement in the treatment of pain through the use of novel analgesics, we now have two new drugs with proven results. The first is zoledronic acid, the class of bisphosphonates (a class of drugs that help rebuild and strengthen the bone). This drug has shown efficacy in a significant reduction of pain caused by bone metastases, and a decrease and delay the onset of complications such as bone metastases of fractures and the need for palliative radiotherapy .. The introduction of zoledronic acid consisted in a new and effective treatment of the complications of bone metastasis of prostate cancer. Are ongoing studies indicate the possibility of using this drug in an earlier stage in order to prevent the appearance of bone metastases in patients at risk. A second recently introduced drugs to treat hormone-resistant patients is docetaxel, a type of chemotherapy shown to increase survival in these patients significantly improving quality of life, and forming a new hope for patients hormone-resistant.
One of the most fascinating in prostate cancer is the chemoprevention, which consists in regular administration of chemicals, natural or synthetic, in order to prevent the appearance and Development also for prostate cancer. Some natural products such as lycopenes (abundant in tomatoes), the fitosteróides (abundant in soy), selenium, or vitamins A and D, have shown promising results. One of the most interesting studies in this area was the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, which showed a 25% reduction in the risk of developing prostate cancer in men who were taking daily 5 mg of finasteride, a drug that inhibits the activity of prostatic testosterone level , have been used for many years in benign prostatic hyperplasia. Another study, the REDUCE study, attempts to show similar results with another drug: dutasteride. The results are expected this year. This is certainly an area for future in oncology, which just now is taking its first steps.
In conclusion, although prostate cancer is very common, we now have many treatment alternatives, even in the later stages of the disease, enabling the patient with prostate cancer look to the future with hope.
Prevention
The probability of cure of prostate cancer is 90% when detected and treated early.
To fall within this is essential to make periodic diagnostic tests to detect the disease as early as possible, even without any symptoms.
Prostate cancer is asymptomatic in its initial level and, therefore, it is recommended that men should do urological examinations.
These examinations and these revisions must be made annually from age 50 (or 45, if there are family history).
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