Can You Ever Be Cured of Prostate Cancer? Topic Guide

Enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia BPH) As the prostate gland grows, it may press on the urethra and cause difficulty with urination. Symptoms and signs of an enlarged prostate include blood in the urine, the inability to urinate, frequent urination, and a slow flow or dribbling urine.Medications and surgery are available if an enlarged prostate is causing problems. A man's prostate gland usually starts to enlarge after he reaches age 40 years or middle age.

Most symptoms and signs of cancer may also be explained by harmless conditions, so it's important to limit one's risk factors and undergo appropriate cancer screening. Common cancer symptoms and signs are a change in bowel habits or urination, persistent cough, blood in the stool, urine, or saliva, lump in the breast or testicle, hoarseness, swollen glands, a change in a wart or mole, unusual vaginal bleeding or discharge, difficulty swallowing, unexplained weight loss, and headaches.

Good communication between patients, family caregivers, and the health care team is very important in cancer care. Patients with cancer have special communication needs.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) covers a wide variety of therapies, botanicals, and dietary supplements. Complementary medicine is treatment that is used along with standard treatments but is not considered standard. Alternative medicine is treatment that is used instead of standard treatments. Less research has been done for most types of complementary and alternative medicine than for standard treatments.

Doctors will perform a biopsy procedure to sample tissue and test for cancer. “Biopsy” refers to this surgical/testing procedure; the results of a biopsy.

“Malignant” is a term used to describe active cancer cells or tumors. This is a general term, however, and may be applied to any condition that is serious enough to lead to a person’s death.

Painful urination and/or ejaculation, trouble with either or both of those, and even blood in urine or semen may indicate a problem with the prostate gland.

Once a cancerous (malignant) tumor has metastasized (spread throughout the body from the original site), it is much more difficult to treat. Most of the time metastatic cancer cannot be cured. The goal of treatment is to slow growth, reduce symptoms, and prolong the patient’s life with as much quality as possible.

Prostate cancer is the result of the out-of-control growth of prostate cells. When prostate cancer is detected early (usually during routine screening tests), the prognosis is good and the survival rate is nearly 100%.

Prostate cancer often has no symptoms. Screening includes a digital rectal examination, PSA, and urinalysis. Treatment depends upon age, the patient's medical condition, and whether the tumor has metastasized. Risk factors for prostate cancer include advanced age, race, family history, infection with STDs, high-fat diet, and chemical exposure.

Prostate infections can be either acute prostatitis and chronic prostatitis. Chronic prostate infections are caused by E. coli and other bacteria. Symptoms of a prostate infection include pain with urination or ejaculation, increased urinary frequency, urgency to pass urine, and pain in the genital area. Treatment for prostate infections or prostatitis may include antibiotics.

The prostate specific antigen (PSA) test measures levels of a protein that may be elevated when a man has prostate cancer. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and American Urologic Association (AUA) have different recommendations regarding PSA screening depending on the age, health status, family history, and risk factors of a man. The change in PSA levels over time may be more useful for cancer screening than any one PSA value.

Prostate cancer and prostatitis both cause difficulty forming a normal stream of urine, painful ejaculation, and frequent urination. However, prostate cancer may also occasionally cause hematuria and erectile dysfunction.

Bone loss, brain changes, hormonal changes and other troubling symptoms may all possibly result from late effects of cancer or cancer treatment, even after the cancer appears to be in remission.

Doctors use Roman numerals I through IV to describe the progression of a cancer at the time of diagnosis. Stage I refers to tumors that are still localized, while Stage IV typically describes the most advanced cancers with metastases to other organs.

After prostate removal (radical prostatectomy), you need to spend a night in the hospital and keep in the urinary catheter for 10 days. Avoid strenuous activity, including taking off work, for about a month if the surgery has no complications.

After your prostate is removed, you’ll have to spend a day in the hospital, followed by a week or more of home recovery with a urinary catheter inserted. Urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction may be side effects of the surgery.

The stresses and physiological changes caused by cancer and its treatments are almost a perfect recipe for insomnia. Drug side effects, stress and anxiety, physical pain and discomfort, oddly timed hospital routines and other factors may all contribute to insomnia in cancer patients.