Prostate Cancer May Be Difficult To Detect But It's Easy To Treat

Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the Western World, typically striking males over the age 40, with those in their sixties and onwards being most at risk. Prostate cancer falls into the category of a "silent killer" form of cancer, as this form of the disease rarely shows itself till it has spread out with the area of the gland. Once it has done it is much more difficult to treat, and can prove fatal.

The prostate gland is situated at the base of the bladder and covers the urethra, a tube that allows urine to flow from the male penis. In younger men, the prostate gland plays an important function in the producing the male sperm. The prostate gland in young and healthy men is walnut shaped and around the same size. However with age the prostate gland expands. Conventional medicine is largely unaware what causes prostate cancer, knowing only that it can be spread through testosterone, the male sex hormone.

What role does genetics play?

Genetics play a very major part in onset of prostate cancer, with African-American males being two and a half times more susceptible to pick up the disease than their Caucasian counterparts. Also males who have a relative diagnosed with cancer of the prostate are twice as likely to be diagnosed, and proportionally upwards.

While genetics seems to play a major role in the outset of prostate cancer it is far from being the only contributory factor. Overweight people seem to be particularly prone to being affected this form of cancer and due to an imbalance of antigen in their blood levels, also take a long time to be diagnosed with the disease.

Screening can save your life

In recent years, increase awareness of the risks of prostate cancer has led to a very beneficial practice, especially for males whose profiles appear to be pointing at the probability of the onset of prostate cancer. Males who fall into risk categories are invited for screenings, which are held at either their local health clinic or doctor's surgery. The screening is quick and painless and highly effective. If it is ascertained that cancer cells exist, yet still within the prostate gland, they can be very quickly removed often without the need for any form of invasive surgery. This is known as stage one or stage two cancer of the prostate gland, and statistics show that the screening process has reduced many of the cases to remain at this level, where survival rates are encouragingly high. If the cancer remains undetected for too long, it may well spread out with the prostate. If this occurs then a more invasive form of surgery needs to be carried out, inevitably followed by a course of chemotherapy, with all of its well known side effects.

Males should never shy away from their responsibilities of keeping their health in order and prostate gland cancer has now fallen into the category of a disease that while it is difficult to prevent can be treated.