September – Men in US and from all over the world are encouraged to examine their prostate. This month was also dubbed the Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
Men over the age of 40 should be encouraged to do their prostate check every year, said urologist Gareth Reid. Prostate cancer is one of the most common type of cancers worldwide, while in the US it actually is the most spread type of cancer in the male population. Moreover, it is the deadliest type of male-related cancers. The highest rate of prostate cancer diagnoses are in the black population.
There is no certainty about who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, but strong associations exist, such as age, race and a history of prostate cancers in the family. Consultant Urologist at University Hospital of the West Indies, Dr. Gareth Reid said that black men are more susceptible to the disease and their cancers tend to be more aggressive in the long-term, even if it is treated.
The doctor adds that “In terms of age, the older a man gets the more likely it is that he may develop prostate cancer. At age 40 a man has about a one in 500 chance of developing prostate cancer. By the time he is in his 70s he has about a one in nine chance of being diagnosed with prostate cancer. If a man lives to be above 90 years old, he has over a 90 per cent chance that he has evidence of cancer within his prostate.”
Dr. Reid warned that when prostate cancer is in its initial stage the symptoms are well hidden, and the only way to reveal the cancer is by making consistent screenings.
Apart from agonizing pain, when the prostate cancer gets out of control it can also affect a man’s sexual life and can lead to injurious issues such as erectile dysfunction, paralysis, and incontinence. At a late stage the only method that could cure the cancer is by receiving hormonal therapy, which comes with a large number of side effects like cardiovascular and health problems, episodes similar to those in the menopause, weakening of the bones, and the possibility of enlarged breasts.
Dr. Reid reminds that is very important for the male populations to do the tests annually if they want to avoid the consequences of suffering from prostate cancer. These tests involved a rectal examination and a blood test. If prostate cancer is diagnosed in time, it can easily be cured with surgery or radiation.
Photo Credits flickr
