Prostate cancer, The PSA Test

Treatment of cancer of the prostate depends on the stage of the cancer, as well as the patients age and the medical condition. New advances in medical technology and knowledge make it possible to treat all patients who have cancer of the prostate. There are four primary treatments. Surgery removal of the prostate, radiation therapy using high dose x rays or other high energy rays to kill cancer cells. Hormonal therapy using hormones to stop cancer cells from growing, or a combination of radiation and hormonal therapy.

Surgery is generally recommended during the early stage if the cancer. If prostate cancer is found in its early stage, surgery may cure the disease.

Radiation therapy usually is given for prostate cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body, such as lungs and bones. Radiation therapy may also help stop the cancer from spreading further. Radiation therapy may also relive pain if the prostate cancer has spread to the bones.

Radiation therapy is use of high energy radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body called external radiation therapy or from putting materials that produce radiation in the area where the cancer calls are found called internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy.

Because the rays from radiation therapy cannot be directed perfectly, they may damage both cancerous and healthy calls nearby. If the radiation dose is small and spread over time, the cancer cells die while the healthy cells are able to recover and survive.

Radiation therapy may cure the cancer disease if the cancer is in its early stage.

Hormonal therapy is the use of hormones to stop cancer cells from growing. Hormone therapy is usually used during advanced stage of cancer when the cancer has spread outside the prostate or to other parts of the body.

Male hormones, like testosterone, can help prostate cancer grow. To stop the prostate cancer from growing, the paitent is given medication to decrease the amount of male hormones. Such medications are female hormone therapy, LHRH therapy or anti androgen therapy.

Hormone therapy dose not cure cancer but can slow its growth, helping extend life and relieve sympthoms.

Chemotherapy is the use of toxic drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by pill or may be injected into the body by a needle into a vein or muscle. With chemotherapy, the drug enters the blood stream, travels though the body, and kills rapidly growing cells, which include cancer. To destroy cancer cells without seriously harming healthy ones, the drug are given in certain dosages over time. To date, chemotherapy does not work well in many men with prostate cancer. When it is used, chemotherapy is limited to certain advanced stages of prostate cancer in which the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

After treatment, the prostate cancer may come back, or recur. The treatment option for recurrent prostate cancer depends on several factors such as the stage of the cancer, what treatment the patient had before, and the health of the patient.

The prostate is one of the male sex glands. It is located just below the bladder, the organ that collects urine. The prostate is located in front of the rectum, the lower part of the intestine, where solid wastes are stored. You can say that the prostate is located between the urinary bladder and the rectum. The prostate is about the size of a walnut. It surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis. The prostate makes fluid that makes up most of the semen, the white fluid in which sperm travel. The prostate is affected by male sex hormones. Hormones are substances that control functions of the body. The most important male hormone is testosterone, which is produced by the testicles.

The prostate is a small, walnut shaped gland that encircles the upper urethra in males and produces a fluid that makes up part of semen. Cancer that develops in the prostate may stay localized. Most cases of prostate cancer are slow growing, and symptoms begin to emerge only when the tumour mass grows large enough to constrict the urethra. This can cause symptoms such as: frequent, a weak or interrupted urine stream, pain or burning upon urination or ejaculation, pus or blood in urine or semen, and discomfort in the lower back.

Prostate cancer Diagnosis

Often early cancer of the prostate has no symptoms. To examine the prostate you will insert a gloved finger into the rectum to feel for lumps in the prostate. This is called DRE digital rectal examination. Sometimes the tumour may be too small to feel during a digital rectal examination DRE. As the cancer grows, it squeezes the urethra. Urine passes though the urethra when a man empties his bladder. That is why the first symptoms of prostate cancer usually difficulty urinating. Note, however that other diseases can also cause difficulty in urination. The speed at which prostate cancer grows varies from person to person. The earlier the prostate cancer is detected, the better are the changes of a successful treatment. That is why blood test called PSA test to help find prostate cancer during its early stages.

The prostate cancer can bee group into 4 stages. The higher the stage the more advanced the prostate cancer is.

Stage 1 prostate cancer: The prostate cancer at this stage cannot be felt and causes no symptoms. The cancer is only in the postage and usually is found accidentally when tested.

Stage 2 prostate cancer: The tumour is still located within the prostate but is large enough to be felt during rectal examination. There are often no symptoms.

Stage 3 of prostate cancer: Cancer cells have spread outside the prostate to surrounding tissues. Difficulty in urinating is common.

Stage 3 of prostate cancer: Cancer calls have spread to lymph nodes near or far from the prostate or to organs and tissues far away from the prostate, such as a bone, the liver, or lungs. The patient may experience difficulty urinating, bone pain, weight loss and tiredness.

PSA Prostate Specific Antigen is a substance in the blood that may indicate prostate cancer. If the amount of PSA Prostate Specific Antigen in the blood is higher than normal or if you feel a lump during a rectal examination, its is important to contact your doctor.

The total PSA test and digital rectal exam DRE are ordered by the doctor to screen both asymptomatic and symptomatic men for prostate cancer. Since the rectal examination can cause a temporary elevation in PSA, the blood is usually collected prior to performing the rectal examination. If either the PSA Prostate Specific Antigen or the rectal examination are found to be abnormal, then the doctor may choose to follow this testing with a prostate biopsy and perhaps imaging tests, such as an ultrasound. If the rectal examination is normal but the PSA is moderately elevated, the doctor may order a free Prostate Specific Antigen PSA test to look at the ratio of free to total PSA. This can help to distinguish between prostate cancer and other non-cancer causes of elevated PSA. Since the total PSA test can be elevated temporarily for a variety of reasons, a doctor may order another PSA a few weeks after the first to determine if the Prostate Specific Antigen is still elevated.

The cPSA is a relatively new test that may be ordered, along with the rectal examination, as an alternative to the total PSA. There is hope that this test could be more specific than the total Prostate Specific Antigen PSA

If prostate cancer is diagnosed, then the total Prostate Specific Antigen may be used as a monitoring tool to help determine the effectiveness of treatment. It may also be ordered at regular intervals after treatment to detect recurrence of the cancer.

Prostate manipulation by biopsy or resection of the prostate will significantly elevate Prostate Specific Antigen PSA levels. The blood test should be done before surgery or six weeks after manipulation.

Rigorous physical activity affecting the prostate, such as bicycle riding, may cause a temporary rise in Prostate Specific Antigen levels. Excessive doses of some chemotherapeutic drugs, such as cyclophosphamide and methotrexate, may increase or decrease Prostate Specific Antigen PSA levels.

In some men, Prostate Specific Antigen may rise temporarily due to other prostate conditions, especially infection. A recent study found that in about half of men with a high Prostate Specific Antigen, values later return to normal.

Other tests can also help see the prostate and other parts of the body where the cancer may spread. Examples of such cancer tests are ultrasound, x ray, IVP, bone scan and MRI scan.