Facts about prostate cancer - You want to read this.

Prostate cancer, cancer biopsy, cancer stages, and PSA levels.

PSA, or protein specific antigen, is a protein normally produced by the prostate.  It is part of the normal production of semen by men's reproductive system.  It is also normally found in the blood, although in very small amounts.  It is measured in ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter), a nanogram being one-billionth of a gram.  The amount of PSA in the blood is highly dependent on two main factors, one of them being age, the other the healthy state of the prostate gland.

The prostate gland is about the size of a walnut, or 30 g (~ 1 ounce).  Prostates may become enlarged, the risk factors being age, family history, diabetes, and heart disease.  In general, men under the age of 40 will not have an enlarged prostate, but men over the age of 80 have a 90% chance of having it.  As you get older, the risk increases.

Enlarged prostates can be problematic in that they may restrict the flow of urine and can lead to kidney issues such as kidney stones, urinary infections, and kidney disease.  Indications of an enlarged prostate include blood in the urine, kidney stones, frequent urinary tract infections, and difficulty in urinating fully or partially.  Having an enlarged prostate does not mean that you have prostate cancer as the condition can be caused by other factors.  However, people with prostate cancer may have an enlarged prostate - the condition being related to how advanced the cancer is, among other reasons.

Checking for issues with your prostate is important for monitoring your health.  This includes the famous rectal exam (gloves on, please) and testing for PSA antigens in the blood.  Positive tests do not mean that you have cancer, but they certainly warrant testing to see if cancer is present.

If prostate cancer is present, it usually progresses slowly and can be effectively treated if caught early.  Not all prostate cancer is the same, with some being very aggressive and others being very slow-growing.  The type of cancer is often determined using a biopsy, which involves taking a tissue sample from the affected tissue.  The sample is examined by professionals and given a Gleason Score.  

A Gleason Score is only used to test prostate cancer aggressiveness.  The numbers range from 1 to 10, with lower numbers (1-5) indicating a low degree of aggressiveness and 6-10, a high degree.  The numbers are based on how the cells appear to the pathologist.  The two most common cancer types are graded from 1-5, and the numbers are added together.  A score of 2 indicates that the two most common cancer types are at the lowest value for aggressiveness, and a score of 10 indicates that they are the most aggressive types present.

How Gleason Scores are calculated.

The risk of prostate cancer spreading to other tissues is highly dependent on the Gleason Score.  Low values mean that the cancer was caught early and that it may take years for the cancer to progress.  High values mean that the cancer is likely going to spread quickly, if not already done so.  The longer the cancer is present in the prostate, the greater the likelihood that it will both spread and increase in its Gleason Score.  The 10-year survival rate for people with prostate cancer can be seen in the figures below.  Summed up, they say that prostate cancer is very treatable, but dealing with it while scores are low will lead to better results.

Gleason scores and 10-year survival rates.

The best plan for preventing prostate cancer from becoming life-threatening is for early detection, and that means getting checked regularly, even if there are no signs of disease.  If you are under 40, there is no need.  After 40, you should consider being tested regularly.  

I hope this helps, it certainly improved my understanding of the issues.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com



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