Prostate Cancer
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Generally, men are less likely than women to get regular checkups and to seek help at the onset of symptoms. This tendency can have unfortunate consequences where reproductive cancers are concerned, because early detection can often mean the difference between life and death. Men should pay attention to what goes on in their genital and urinary organs. Generally, men are less likely than women to get regular checkups and to seek help at the onset of symptoms. This tendency can have unfortunate consequences where reproductive cancers are concerned because early detection can often mean the difference between life and death. Men should pay attention to what goes on in their genital and urinary organs. Men also face cancer issues which affect their sexual health. Prostate cancer is the most common form among American men and the second cause of death. Its risk factors include aging, family history, being African American, having a high-fat diet, and obesity. It is detected using the digital rectal exam and the prostate-specific antigen test. Treatment includes surgery, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, or just watchful waiting. Prostate cancer develops slowly over many years, and most cases are not life-threatening. For an older man or one in poor health, prostate cancer may never become a major problem because it often grows so slowly. If the cancer has not spread beyond the prostate gland, all or part of the gland is removed by surgery. Radical surgery has a high cure rate, but it often results in incontinence and erectile difficulties. An alternative to removal of the prostate is "watchful waiting," in which men do not have any treatment, such as surgery or radiation therapy, immediately after the cancer diagnosis but are closely followed by their physicians to see if the tumor begins to grow and advance. Because prostate cancer often spreads slowly, some men may never need treatment.