What is prostate cancer?
The most common type of cancer among men, prostate cancer affects around 36,000 men a year in the UK. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located between the penis and the bladder that helps produce semen
What are the causes?
Age and ethnicity are the main causes, as is a history of the cancer in the family. Obesity, poor diets and lack of exercise are also all major risk factors in developing prostate cancer.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms include a frequent need to urinate, especially at night, weak flow, hesitancy in urinating and a feeling that the bladder has not been emptied after urinating.
Who is most at risk?
Prostate cancer affects older men, especially those aged over 70. It is also more common in men of African or Caribbean origin.
What treatment is available?
The course of treatment will be determined by the size of the cancer, what grade it is, if it has spread and what the person’s general health is like. Usually a multidisciplinary team (MDT) is assigned to the person so that the best possible care is provided. The aim will be to cure the disease if detected early enough and nurse the person back to full health, or, if the cancer has spread, to delay symptoms as much as possible and prolong life.
The information provided within this article has been sourced via NHS Choices: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cancer-of-the-prostate/pages/introduction.aspx
By James Massoud
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