Prostate Cancer is the most common male cancer amongst Irish men with figures predicted to rise ahead of Breast Cancer over the next decade with one in nine Irish men developing prostate cancer during the course of their lifetime.
Last year, Movember’s second in Ireland, 7,000 Irish Men donated their faces to the cause raising over €1 million. Men, or Mo Brothers as they are commonly referred to, are clean shaven at the beginning of the month and left free to groom and cultivate their upper lip shrubbery throughout Movember. The symbol of the moustache is said to be equivalent to that of the prominent pink breast cancer ribbon except with men wearing their ribbon on their face!
No one knows for sure how to prevent prostate cancer but diet and a healthy lifestyle may be important in protecting against the disease. Researchers believe a diet high in saturated animal fats and red meat may be responsible for the high incidence of prostate cancer in Western countries. It is thought that reducing your intake of animal fat and eating more fruit and vegetables may lower the risk of prostate cancer developing or spreading.
Interestingly a recent study of nearly 48,000 men found that Lycopene which is found in tomatoes, tomato products, red grapefruit and watermelons appears to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, supporting recommendations to increase consumption of fruit and vegetables, which are high in other antioxidants and bioflavonoid pigments that protect against various cancers.
Prostate Cancer can develop when cells in the prostate gland start to grow in an uncontrolled way. In most cases this is a slow growing cancer that men will be unaware of throughout their life because it may never cause any symptoms or problems. However, some men will have a fast growing cancer that needs treatment to prevent or delay it spreading outside the prostate gland. The prostate itself is around the shape and size of a walnut which lies beneath the bladder surrounding the tube that men pass urine and semen through.
The risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer grows higher as you get older. Most men diagnosed with the condition are over 50 with the risk said also to increase if a close family member (father or brother) has prostate cancer.
One of the main problems associated with prostate cancer is that in its early stages, it often does not have any symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they may include any of the following:
• Having a need to rush to the toilet to pass urine.
• Difficulty in passing urine.
• Difficulty starting to pass urine or / and a weak or reduced urine flow.
• Starting and stopping whilst passing urine.
• Discomfort (pain or burning) while passing urine.
• A feeling of not having emptied the bladder fully.
• Dribbling of urine or semen
• Pain or stiffness in the back, hips or pelvis.
Less common symptoms include:
• Pain when passing urine
• Pain when ejaculating
• Pain in the testicles
Of course, these symptoms can be caused by many other conditions, including a urinary infection, BPH – Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or arthritis, in the case of back stiffness. The prostate enlarges as men get older, and most men have some symptoms affecting urination.
Early diagnosis is important for successful treatment. There are a few tests that your GP may carry out to find out if you have a prostate problem. Firstly if your GP thinks that you might have a urine infection, they will test a sample of your urine. The GP will do this before a PSA test as a urine infection may affect your PSA level.
The prostate gland makes a protein called PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen). It is normal to have some PSA in the blood. The PSA level rises as you get older, so a man aged 70 will have a higher PSA than a man aged 50. Your GP can measure the amount of PSA in your blood by taking a sample of your blood to be tested. If there is a problem in the prostate, caused by BPH, prostatitis or prostate cancer, the levels of PSA in the blood can go up.
A rectal examination is a simple test which can be done at the GP surgery. Your GP can actually feel the size of the prostate gland by doing a rectal examination which allows them to feel the prostate for any irregularities. The examination is usually done after the PSA test because again it can affect your PSA level.
Other Tests include an ultrasound scan which can show whether your bladder is emptying properly, a urine flow test which involves passing urine into a machine that measures the speed of your urine flow, a prostate biopsy and a bone scan.
You may not have all of the tests described above. Your GP may do some of these tests or you may need to visit a doctor who specialises in urinary problems (urologist) at the hospital. If you are diagnosed with a prostate problem your GP will discuss your treatment options with you which may include surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy or a combination of treatments.
If you have any of the symptoms above you should visit your GP to find out what is causing the problem. However some men with prostate cancer may have no symptoms at all which is why men must be very diligent when it comes to regular screening. As previously highlighted prevention can often be better than the cure so I cannot stress enough the importance for men to book a well man check up with their local GP or medical centre. A typical check up will look at lifestyle analysis, medical history, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, urine analysis, chest, heart and lung check and a prostate assessment. It also affords the opportunity to discuss with your GP any concerns you may have. The emphasis of a well man check up is on maintaining good health and disease prevention, a male NCT if you like!
For further information on Prostate Cancer Log on to www.cancer.ie & www.movember.com
