Prostate cancer incidence is 5 to 9.1/lakh/year. It is usually curable when detected early, but can kill if diagnosed late or not treated effectively.
The prostate is a gland of the male reproductive system. It is located in front of the rectum and just below the bladder. Its main function is to produce fluid for semen, which transports sperm.
Prostate cancer is a malignant tumour that begins most often in the outer part of the prostate. It may spread to the inner part of the prostate and beyond the prostate to other parts of the body.
Most men who get prostate cancer are above the age of 50 years and the risk increases with age. Other risk factors are family history and smoking
In the early stages, when prostate cancer is a small, treatable tumour, there are usually no symptoms.
When the growth becomes more advanced, urinary symptoms may develop.
These include:
- frequent urination (especially at night)
- poor urinary stream
- inability to urinate
- interruption of urinary stream (stopping and starting)
- pain or burning on urination
- blood in the urine or semen
- persistent bone pain
- loss of weight or appetite
Stage 1
The doctor is unable to feel the tumor, but has been found during TUR-P or was found by needle biopsy that was done for elevated PSA
Stage 2 The doctor can feel the tumor by rectal examination and it appears confined to the prostate gland.
Stage 3 Cancer has spread beyond the prostate to nearby tissues like seminal vesicles
Stage 4 Cancer has spread to other organs like bladder, rectum, the pelvic lymph nodes or to distant parts of the body, most commonly to the bones.
Stage 2 The doctor can feel the tumor by rectal examination and it appears confined to the prostate gland.
Stage 3 Cancer has spread beyond the prostate to nearby tissues like seminal vesicles
Stage 4 Cancer has spread to other organs like bladder, rectum, the pelvic lymph nodes or to distant parts of the body, most commonly to the bones.
Your doctor may use one or more of the following methods – surgery, hormone treatment, radiation and anti-cancer drugs. The choice depends on the stage of the cancer, your age and other medical co-morbidities.
Radical prostatectomy is used to treat cancer localized in the prostate and involves complete removal of the prostate. Often the pelvic lymph nodes are removed as well.
Radiation therapy uses high energy x-ray beam to kill cancer cells. Radiation may be given from a machine located outside the body (external radiation therapy), or from a radioactive substance introduced directly into the tumour. Sometimes a combination of these methods is used.
Both surgery and radiation provide excellent 10-year survival rates. Your doctor can help advise you about the best treatment for your cancer.
Hormonal therapy is used to treat prostate cancer which has spread beyond the prostate. The 2 basic techniques involve:
- drugs that prevent the release or counter the action of male hormones
- surgical removal of the testicles, which make the male hormones. Because male hormones stimulate the growth of prostate cancer, treatments that interfere with the effect of these hormones can slow the cancer’s growth, sometimes dramatically. Occasionally, chemotherapy is used.
- Side effects of treatment
- Your future after treatment for prostate cancer: After treatment for prostate cancer, you should continue to visit your doctor for regular checkups. At various times after your treatment, your doctor will examine you and perform various tests to determine whether any further treatment is necessary. The PSA test has proved to be particularly useful in monitoring the response of prostate cancer to treatment.