Is it really scary to have prostate cancer?

Is it really scary to have prostate cancer? Prostate cancer is the most common malignant tumor in elderly men. Its incidence rate is second only to lung cancer in some Western countries, ranking second among male malignant tumors. Especially in my country in recent years, with the improvement of people's living standards, changes in dietary structure, extension of average life expectancy, and improvement of medical diagnostic technology, the incidence of prostate cancer has also been increasing year by year. According to data, the incidence rate of latent prostate cancer in my country is as high as 25% among people over 70 years old, which makes many men worried and want to know whether it is scary to have prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer 10-year cure rate is 92%

According to the National Cancer Institute of the United States, 80% of men over the age of 80 have prostate cancer, but most of them do not know they have cancer. Early prostate cancer is relatively mild, and the tumor is very small and almost unnoticeable. If the patient is healthy, even if he has this cancer, his life expectancy is more than 10 years. Generally, the cure rate for patients with early prostate cancer is 85% in 5 years and 92% in 10 years. Other celebrities who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer include former South African President Nelson Mandela. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001. Now 10 years have passed and he is 93 years old.

Compared with liver cancer and lung cancer, prostate cancer is a relatively mild cancer that develops slowly and has a good prognosis. "For some prostate cancers, if they are classified as medium- or low-risk, they can basically survive for more than ten years without treatment. If the patient is already in his 80s or 90s, surgery may not be necessary; if the patient is only in his 50s or 60s, active treatment is needed to prevent the tumor from worsening or metastasizing."

Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor that progresses relatively rapidly. Data show that if it is not diagnosed and treated early, the average survival period from the discovery of symptoms is only 3 to 5 years. In fact, when symptoms of prostate cancer appear, it is mostly no longer in the early stage. Moreover, because the cancerous tumor blocks the bladder outlet and flattens the urethra, symptoms such as frequent urination, increased nocturia, dysuria, and hematuria will appear, which are similar to the clinical manifestations of prostate hyperplasia and are easily misdiagnosed as prostate hyperplasia. In addition, prostate cancer can metastasize very early, and the metastatic symptoms that appear are sometimes more obvious than local symptoms, and may even be earlier than local symptoms. Some cases seek medical treatment for metastatic symptoms, which manifest as pain in the lumbar sacral region, hip pain, sciatica, supraclavicular or skin masses, cough, hemoptysis, chest pain, etc. In the late stage, loss of appetite, weight loss and anemia may also occur. Therefore, early diagnosis of prostate cancer is quite difficult.

Elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA)

Do you have prostate cancer?

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a specific marker for prostate cancer. However, an increase in PSA does not necessarily mean prostate cancer. Benign prostate hyperplasia, inflammation or after urethral surgery can cause PSA to increase. If a physical examination reveals an increase in PSA, it is probably due to benign prostate hyperplasia, so don't panic and lose your composure.

PSA is an enzyme produced by the prostate gland, which breaks down the protein in semen and liquefies it. Every man produces PSA, and PSA normally stays in the prostate gland, but when the amount of PSA increases abnormally, it will flow into the blood. Therefore, if a blood test shows that PSA is elevated, it indicates that there is something wrong with the prostate gland, but it is not necessarily related to cancer. In addition to prostate cancer, there is also benign prostatic hyperplasia, commonly known as prostate hypertrophy. PSA will also increase after prostate inflammation or urethral surgery.

Eighty percent of the time, the rise in PSA is due to benign prostatic hyperplasia. If there are no symptoms, no treatment is needed, unless there are urination problems, such as unclear urination, frequent urination, intermittent urination, etc., then treatment is needed. Experts suggest that if your PSA index rises, don't panic. Go to the hospital for a rectal digital examination and feel the prostate through the anus. If the digital examination is abnormal, the doctor will perform a transrectal B-ultrasound on the patient. If a lesion is found, a puncture biopsy will be performed to obtain a pathological section to determine the nature of the lesion and the pathological classification.

However, what can be felt through rectal examination is usually in the late stage. Early prostate cancer is usually located inside the gland and cannot be felt. If the PSA value is normal during the physical examination, don't be careless, because nearly 30% of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer clinically have PSA values ​​within the normal range. It is recommended that ordinary people over 50 years old (those with a family history of prostate cancer should start at 45 years old) have a PSA prostate cancer B-ultrasound screening once a year.

Patients should not take "yang-enhancing" tonics

Prostate cancer patients can eat more foods that have a health-promoting effect on the prostate, such as pumpkin, carrots, tomatoes and other vegetables, drink more green tea, etc. High-fat and high-protein foods should be avoided as much as possible. Due to the relationship between androgens and prostate cancer, experts remind patients not to eat foods, Chinese medicines or Chinese patent medicines containing androgens or "aphrodisiacs".

It is particularly noteworthy that prostate cancer treatment often causes patients to lose sexual function and interest, and for younger patients, it may cause depression. Family members, especially wives, should pay more attention to their husbands' emotions, strengthen communication, and seek alternative sexual methods if necessary.