What to do if prostate cancer has bone metastasis

The incidence of prostate cancer increases with age. The incidence is still relatively low at the age of 55, but it will gradually increase thereafter. The peak age of onset is between 71 and 80 years old. If there is a family history, the tendency to develop the disease will be higher, and the age of onset will be earlier. The cause of the disease is closely related to lifestyle and sexual activity. Those with more sexual activity will have an increased risk of prostate cancer.

Disease classification

More than 95% of prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas that occur in the prostate glandular tissue. Their development usually follows a certain sequence: confined to the prostate gland—>invading the prostate capsule—>breaking through the prostate capsule—>invading the seminal vesicles—>metastasizing to the adjacent regional lymph nodes—>metastasizing to the bones and other organs. Another important type of prostate cancer is neuroendocrine carcinoma or small cell undifferentiated carcinoma, which may originate from neuroendocrine cells rather than the prostate gland. This type of prostate cancer generally metastasizes and spreads earlier, but does not secrete prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and conventional prostate cancer treatments have little effect on it. Instead, it is more sensitive to chemotherapy.

The prostate may also develop some less common malignant tumors, such as rhabdomyosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, malignant nerve sheath (membrane) tumor, malignant stromal tumor, and malignant tumors of other organs metastasized to the prostate. The serum PSA values ​​of patients with these rare tumors are generally not significantly increased, and the tumor volume is generally large, often causing local compression of adjacent organs. Most patients seek medical treatment for difficulty in urination and/or defecation.

There are three ways prostate cancer spreads:

1. Infiltrate nearby tissues or organs, first invading the lobes on both sides, breaking through the membrane, and reaching the ampulla of the vas deferens, the seminal vesicle, the bladder neck and the posterior urethra;

2. Lymphatic metastasis can reach para-aortic lymph nodes inside and outside the body;

3. The most common hematogenous metastasis is to the pelvis, spine, and femur. Severe pain may occur, pathological fractures may occur, and the disease may also metastasize to the liver, lungs, pleura, adrenal glands, brain and other internal organs.

Is prostate cancer contagious? According to current medical evidence, prostate cancer is not an infectious disease and cancer cells will not be transmitted from the patient to others through some means. Even if the patient's prostate cancer cell tissue is implanted into another person's body, it will be defeated by the other person's strong immune ability.

The earliest symptoms of prostate cancer are those of the urinary system. Because the prostate tumor can compress the surrounding tissues, especially the bladder, it can cause urination difficulties. The main manifestations are slow urine flow or interrupted urine flow, short range, thin urine stream, and more effort to urinate. There may also be symptoms of frequent urination, urgency, and increased nocturia. Of course, it will not only affect the urinary system, but also the large intestine, causing difficulty in defecation.