| What
Is The Prostate Gland?
The
prostate gland is a walnut-sized gland situated
below the urinary bladder. It is enclosed by a
capsule. It produces prostatic secretion which
forms part of semen.
What
Is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate
cancer develops when cells in the prostate gland
turn malignant i.e. uncontrolled growth, and forms
a lump. This cancer grows out of the prostate
capsule and invades surrounding tissue e.g. seminal
vesicles, bladder neck. It can also spread to
lymph glands in the pelvis. It also often spreads
via the blood stream to the backbone.
Studies
have shown that many middle-aged men (above 50
years) harbour small prostate cancers which do
not cause any symptoms and are clinically insignificant.
How Common Is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate
cancer is the most common cancer in American men.
In Singapore, it is the 6th most common cancer
in men. About 150 new patients are diagnosed every
year in Singapore. With the incidence rate increasing
at 5% yearly, more Singapore men will be affected.
Risk Factors
At
present, not much is known about the risk factors
but the following have been identified:
 |
Family
history (father, brother, uncle) of prostate
cancer |
|
Age.
96% of patients are above 55 years old |
|
Race.
Risk is higher for black Americans, Scandinavians
but low in Asians |
|
Diet
rich in animal fat |
|
Previous
vasectomy |
Sexual
activity is not a risk factor.
Screening
for Prostate Cancer
Prostate
cancer can be detected at an early stage by:
| a) |
Digital
Rectal Examination (DRE) |
| b) |
Blood
level of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA).
PSA of more than 4 mg/ml is abnormal |
It
is recommended that men above 50 years old to
have a DRE and PSA test every year. Please consult
a doctor for these tests.
Signs
& Symptoms
| 1.
|
Lump
in the prostate gland that is often asymptomatic.
This lump is detected during a Digital Rectal
Examination (DRE) performed by a doctor. The
cancer can also be detected by an elevation
of PSA in the blood. PSA stands for Prostate-Specific
Antigen and is a tumour marker. |
| 2. |
Difficulty
in passing urine due to obstruction to the
passage of urine. |
| 3. |
Back
pain due to the spread of cancer to the bone
(metastases). |
| 4. |
Weakness
or swelling of lower limbs due to cancer obstruction
of the lymphatic channels. |
2,
3 and 4 are symptoms of advanced prostate cancer.
No
signs are specific for prostate cancer. It is
safer to see a doctor first to exclude other causes
of symptoms such as urinary tract infection, benign
prostate hyperplasia, urinary stones, etc.
|
