Alexis+F.

**What Is Prostate Cancer?** What causes this form of cancer is still unknown, but according to the New York Times, some studies have shown that if you have high testosterone levels, or a high dietary fat intake, are some ways to cause it.** //(New York Times)//
 * Prostate Cancer is a cancer that forms in tissues of the prostate. It usually occurs in older men. //(National Cancer Institute)//
 * What is a Prostate? **
 * The Prostate is a small, walnut-sized structure that makes up part of a man's reproductive system. It wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body. //(New York Times)//
 * There are no other alternative names for prostate cancer, unless you want to call it cancer-prostate.

If you're concerned about being at risk, the men with the highest risks include:**
 * This type of cancer is the third most common cause of death of cancer in men of any age. For men over 75, it is the most common cause of death, and it is rarely found in men younger than age 40.
 * Farmers
 * African American men over 60
 * Tire plant workers
 * Painters
 * Men exposed to cadmium

**Men who have the lowest risk of getting prostate cancer, are Japanese men, and vegetarians.** //(New York Times)//


 * There are many symptoms that go along with prostate cancer, and if you think you have any, you would want to get checked out immediately. Symptoms include:**
 * Lower back pain
 * Excessive urination at night
 * Abdominal pain
 * Anemia
 * Unintentional weight loss
 * Lethargy
 * Hematuria //(blood in the urine)//
 * Incontinence
 * Bone pain or tenderness
 * Pain with bowel movement
 * Pain with ejaculation
 * Lower back pain
 * Pain with urination
 * Urinary hesitancy //(delayed or slowed start of urinary stream)//
 * Urinary retention
 * Urinary dribbling, especially immediately after urinating

**There are many ways to get tested for prostate cancer. According to the New York Times, there are atleast 8. A chest x-ray, a bone scan, or a CT scan might be done to see if the cancer has spread. A urinalysis shows whether or not there is blood in the urine, prostatic fluid or urine can reveal some unusual cells, and a prostate biopsy confirms the diagnosis. The next two are a free PSA, whic tells you whether it is a BPH or prostate cancer, a PSA test which may be high, although the non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate can also increase PSA levels. And finally, the last test is a newer one called AMACR, and it is a more sensitive test for determining the presence of prostate cancer than the PSA test.** //(All of the above, New York Times)//

Your treatment choices are mainly: surgery, radiation therapy, or medicine. With surgery, it is usually only recommended after a thourough evaluation and discussion of all treatment problems. A man that considers surgery should be aware of the risks and benefits of the procedure. If you are considering radiation therapy, you should know that it is used primarily to treat prostate cancers classified as stages A, B, or C. Medications are usually used to adjust the levels of testosterone. This process is called hormonal manipulation, and it is mainly used to relieve symptoms in men whose cancer has spread.** //(New York Times)//
 * Considering that there are many symptoms and tests for prostate cancer, that means there are lots of treatments. Your options on which treatment to use or get, is based on the stage of the tumor. If you have prostate cancer that has spread, it may be treated with drugs to reduce testosterone levels, chemotherapy, or surgery to remove the testes.


 * Of course, there are many support groups for men who have either gone through prostate cancer, or are going through it currently. A few of those organizations include Malecare, US Too, The Prostate Cancer Foundation, and cancer.org. So no matter what, you'll never have to go through this alone.** //(Prostate Cancer Foundation)//

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[] [|http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/prostate-cancer/overview.html#top] [] [] [] [] []

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