Prostate Cancer Essay, Research Paper

Prostate cancer is a common form of cancer that has

affected most every man whether he knows it or not. There are

many factors and risks that can lead to this deadly cancer. With

the help of highly trained docters,fatalities can be can be

lowered,yet sometimes things still happen.

Prostate cancer is the cancer of the male reproductive

organ.The prostate make prosthetic fluid.The prostate also forms

semen,but the most important function of the prostate is to

regulate the acidity of the semen. Cancer is the collection of

abnormal cells that have forgotten how to die. Cancer cells

unlike normal cells can not die.

One way to find out if you have the cancer or if you do

not have the cancer is called a prostate exam. The exam is

basically a feel of the back wall of the prostate gland. What the

doctor is trying to feel for is any hard nodules, lumps or

irregularities. You shouldn?t have to have a annual exam, but it

just depends how experienced your doctor is. If the doctor finds

an irregularity, u shouldn?t wait for it to change.

When you are a child your prostate is about the size of a

pea.The body begins to make large amounts of male hormones

during puberty causing the prostate to grow rapidly.About

ninety five percent of the hormone is produced by the

testicles.Once your prostate has reached normal size it stops

growing until u have reached your sixties or seventys.This slow

increase leads to the condition called bengign prosthetic

hyperplasia.This is rarely a threat to your health ,but it can me

extremely uncomfortable.

There are many stages of prostate cancer,early stages and

late stages.The classic stages are A,B,C and D. The a stage

consist of cancer found incidentally or because of elevated PSA.

The b stage of cancer is made up of cancer found because of

abnormal digital rectal exam; cancer confined to prostate. The C

cancer is cancer spread to tissues outside of the prostate. Finally

the D cancer is cancer that has spread to lymph nodes or the

bone.

It is better to have one degree than the other.?It is always better

to have a smallvolume,low grade tumor than a lager,high-grade

cancer?says Dr. Sheldon Marks book Prostate and Cancer.

There is a unique feature of cancer cells. Cancer cells

have the ability to detach theirselves from their original site and

move to other parts of the body.This is a process that is just

recently beginning to be understood. Under normal

circumstances prostate cell is confined to the prostate,but when

the cell becomes cancerous it is able to leave its birthplace and

take up residence in other parts of the body. ?This ability to shed

celled and establish satellite or daughter cancer colonies in other

parts of the body is known as the process of metastasis? says

Dr.Marc B. Garnick?s book The Patients Guide to Prostate

Cancer.

As I just discussed cancer cell have the potential to spread

throughout the body. When prostate cancer is in early stages it is

confined within the prostate. It is in these early stages when

prostate cancer is curable. As the cancer grows it heads towards

the edge of the prostate. If it has enough time it can grow

through the outer edge of the prostate . This is called the prostate

capsule.? This is known as ?extra capsular extension? says

Dr.Kent Wallner?s book Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer is either curable or incurable. The way

you can tell if the cancer is curable is if the cancer is still

confined . If the cancer is still confined in the ate it is considered

curable. Prostate cancer that has metastasized to the lymph

nodes or to the bones is considered incurable. This means if the

cancer has spread outside the prostate and infected these parts it

is incurable.

There are six major treatments for curing prostate cancer.

The first treatment is called cryosurgery. Cryosurgery is the

freezing of the prostate gland. The second major treatment is

seed implantation. This is simply placing radioactive seeds in

the prostate gland. The third major treatment is hypothermia.

Hypothermia is when heat is applied to the prostate gland,and

this will shrink the cancer. This will eventually destroy the

cancer. The fourth major treatment is Radical prostatectomy.

This is the sergical removel of the cancerous prostate gland. The

fifth mahor treatment is called external beam radiation therapy.

This is when the prostate is shot at by beams of focused x-rays.

The purpose of this is to shrink the cancer infected cells. The

sixth and last major treatment is the Bilateral orchiectomy. This

is the surgical removel of the testes to lower the testosterone

level in the body.

There are many mistakes made by doctors and patients.

One cmmen mistake made by patients is failing to learn about

the cancer and the best way to heal themselves. This can be very

hurtfull to the patient. A comen mistake made by doctors is

intimadidating protae cancer victims to undergo immidiate

treatment before explaining the varios treatments. This can be

very hazerdious to victems.

Truly prostae cancer is a very dangerous cancer. This form of cancer

has taken many elderly men lives. Wih the higly trained physicians and newly

found treatments docters ave tried to lower the amount af fatalities.