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submitted: Aug 1st 2008 | by: JessieLupi | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 475 | |

While the real causes of prostate cancer are still unknown, there are several factors that could be identified that are likely to be the reason for this type of cancer. One of these factors is age, the older a man is the higher the risk of getting prostate cancer. Another risk factor is race. It appears that African-American men are more likely to get prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer symptoms can only be experienced when the patient has developed the cancer in a larger scale already. The only other way to detect prostate cancer in an early state is having a screening examination.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer? A burning sensation while urinating, blood in the urine, an unknown pain in your hips or back. Another clear symptom could also be a change in urine flow.

Early detection of the cancer is vital. As stated already, it is important to have a screening examination in order to detect the cancer early. If detected early enough the cancer is curable.

Part of the diagnosis is a rectal examination by your doctor. He puts his finger in your rectum to find anything strange with your prostate gland. If he finds something then a blood test will be the next step. The doctor will want to check for PSA, a prostate specific antigen in the blood stream. If the concentration of PSA is very high, it is a strong sign of cancer.

A trans rectal ultrasound examination is another option. This painless method gives a good picture of the gland within 20 minutes.

A biopsy is needed once the above tests indicate the occurrence of cancer. That means that the doctor must take a small sample of the tissue by using a needle. The sample is then checked under a microscope and if the sample is cancerous it is an exact diagnosis. The biopsy itself is a quick and rather painless method to diagnose prostate cancer.

The next step is to find out if the cancer has spread already to other areas of the body, which would be a bad sign. In an x-ray for example the doctor can see if the cancer has reached the lungs already or not. Magnetic resonance imaging and a tomography may also be necessary to check for cancer in other organs.

For the treatment of prostate cancer a urologist, oncologist and a surgeon is required. The surgery is the most common treatment option with the aim to totally remove cancer from the body. However, the surgery can have some serious side effects. This is why some prefer another therapy called cryosurgery which uses ultrasound and liquid nitrogen.

Prognosis for early caner treatment is good. Over 95% of men are alive after five years. A later detection for the cancer which has spread already in other areas of the body still has a prognosis of 30% survival rate after 5 years.

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Get all information about prostate cancer symptoms and prostate cancer here.

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