Breast cancer is to women as prostate cancer is to men.
The prevalence of prostate cancer in men is on the high side. One man in six men will get prostate cancer and it is the most common type of cancer in men and if not properly attended to spreads and damages other vital organs of the body and eventually results in death in a minimal time.
How well do you know your prostate? Do you engage in activities that increases your chances of getting prostate cancer? Do you go for checkup to know if your prostate is in good shape?
This post is important for all men and likewise women as long as you have a husband, brothers etc. In the course of this discussion i will look into the prostate, causes of prostate cancer, possible activities we engage in that puts us at risk of having prostate cancer and some other factors.
Read and digest
PROSTATE AND ITS LOCATION
The prostate is a small gland inside the body close to the bladder(which stores urine), it is part of the male reproductive system hence only found in men. It produces some of the fluid that feeds and protects sperm cells in the semen. When affected badly or damaged it leads to incontinence.
The prostate is located at the pelvic region. The region between the abdomen and the femur. The pelvis is a large bone at the bottom of the back which connects the spine to the legs.
PROSTATE CANCER
This is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in men. What is cancer? Cancer is a disease in which abnormal growth takes place in the body and kills normal body cells and often results in death.
Prostate cancer is a disease in which normal cells in the prostate gland grow abnormally forming a tumor which may spread to other organs of the body. It is likely to grow and spread quickly in the body but in some other cases it takes time to grow and spread.
CAUSES OF PROSTATE CANCER
What really causes prostate cancer? Here it is. There are two likely causes of prostate cancer and they include:
• Inherited gene mutations
• Acquired gene mutations
• INHERITED GENE MUTATIONS
As the name implies, this is transferred from generations to generations and are found in all cells in the body. This type of mutation is inherited and gene changes inherited causes a good percentage of prostate cancer.
• ACQUIRED GENE MUTATIONS
Likewise as the name implies, it is acquired. This type of gene mutation is not hereditary and it happens during one's lifetime. It happens as a result of some activities or processes like in the case where the prostate cells grow and divide faster than normal, also when there's inflammation of the prostate, even exposure to radiation or carcinogens and in the case where there's a higher level of androgens(male hormone) in a male.
ACTIVITIES THAT INCREASES CHANCES OF PROSTATE CANCER
Here are some of the things we do or take that increases our chances of getting prostate cancer:
• FOOD - food with high calcium content tend to expose one to the risk of having prostate cancer, especially dairy foods.
• FAT ACCUMULATION - Men that hardly workout/exercise and those that are obese are at a higher risk of getting prostate cancer.
• SMOKING - Smokers are more liable to have prostate cancer than non-smokers.
• CHEMICAL EXPOSURE - Being exposed to dangerous chemicals more often than normal increases one's chances as well especially radioactive elements and carcinogens.
• SEX - Having sex with an infected partner and contracting an infection (STI) like gonorrhea might increase risk because it leads to the inflammation of the prostate.
RISK FACTORS OF PROSTATE CANCER
There are some risk factors of prostate cancer and most of them cannot be escaped. There are:
• AGE - Age is one of the risk factors, prostate cancer rises rapidly after age 50. The older one gets the more susceptible to having prostate cancer.
• RACE - Based on research, some races are more prone to having prostate cancer than others like the African-American men and the reasons behind this is not verified.
• FAMILY HISTORY - Research has it that men whose father or brother has prostate cancer are at greater risk of developing the disease.
• GENETIC ABNORMALITIES - Some inherited gene changes as well increases one's chances of getting prostate cancer.
SYMPTOMS
Check out the symptoms and if you've experienced any of these do well to go for checkup. The symptoms of prostate cancer includes the following :
• Urinary problems
• Discovery of blood in urine and semen
• Discomfort as a result of pains in the pelvis, spine or upper legs
• Difficulty in getting an erection and pain during climax.
SOME TREATMENTS OF PROSTATE CANCER
There are different treatments for prostate cancer and there are factors that affect which treatment method to be administered to a patient and they are worth consideration for a successful treatment, some of which are the patient's age, at what stage the cancer is, and the general health status of the patient. Some treatments include;
• SURGERY - This involves an operation done to remove the entire prostate as well as the seminal vessicles. This is because in the prostate the cancerous cells feed on the fluids produced by the prostate and the removal of the prostate will slow down the spread of the cancerous cells.
• RADIATION THERAPY - This type of treatment involves the use of x-rays or gamma rays to eradicate the cancer cells. The power of the UV light rays destroys the cancer cells.
• CHEMOTHERAPY - This involves treatment of prostate cancer with the use of chemical substances.
In the end, i'll say that prostate cancer might be inevitable for some from what we've seen but there are things one could do to help prevent or reduce the chances of getting prostate cancer and there are;
• Eat healthy especially vegetables and fruits
• Maintain a healthy body mass / exercise
• Stay far away from carcinogens
• Stop detrimental addictions
THANK YOU FOR READING
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