Understanding Your Prostate Cancer: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

You probably take your health for granted. You don’t think twice about your ability to do all of your normal daily activities until something goes wrong. For example, simple things such as the health of your teeth, good eyesight, and your ability to hear are all things that most people take for granted unless they are in an accident affecting one of these senses. Only then do they realize the huge impact that their health has on their lives. Similarly, people who are diagnosed with serious illnesses such as cancer, quickly realize how many things they’ve taken for granted their entire lives. Men who have to deal with prostate cancer face the challenge of infertility and other issues related to bowel, urinary, and sexual function.

Symptoms and Dealing with Diagnosis

If you experience symptoms including needing to urinate frequently, having difficulty controlling the flow when you urinate, or painful urination, you may have prostate cancer and should consult a doctor. Other symptoms include difficulty achieving an erection, painful ejaculation, and blood in the urine or semen. Once you have been diagnosed with cancer, you have some important decisions ahead of you. Before you can make the best decisions about what types of treatment to undergo, it’s important to take some time to process the emotions that you might be feeling as a result of the diagnosis. In order for your body to be at its best and health quickly, it’s important for your mind to be at rest with regards to your condition. Taking time to study the issues, treatments, risks, and overall impact that the cancer could have on your life is a good way to face your enemy head on.

Treatment Options

There are various treatments available for prostate cancer. After an initial diagnosis, many men will choose active surveillance, or the careful monitoring of the cancer for any signs of progression, as their first course of action. If your cancer is still in its early stages and remains confined to the prostate, you may choose to undergo a prostatectomy, or the surgical removal of the entire prostate gland. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are other treatments that many people undergo. Even though they are used for cases where the cancer is more wide-spread, they can be used in the early stages of the disease as well. Hormone therapy, where testosterone is removed, can be effective in killing the majority of the cancerous cells. However, there are some cancerous cells that continue to grow despite the lack of testosterone. It’s important to research the different treatment options available before making your decision.

PCF ( http://www.pcf.org ) is the leading philanthropic organization funding and accelerating prostate cancer research globally. PCF has aggressively funded significant victories in the fight against prostate cancer. But too many men still die; too many families still suffer. You can help us find better treatments and ultimately cures for this disease.

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