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Overview for Dietary and Lifestyle or Treatment info
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Prostatic cancer is unfortunately
common. It accounts for about 7% of all cancers in men in the UK. About
750 Scots die of it annually. In 1996, 2027 men were diagnosed as having
it. It appears to increase with age and in the UK 80% of men over 80
years have it, although in most cases it is dormant.
How do you know if you have this problem? It usually presents as a bladder
obstruction. This is because of the anatomical arrangement of the prostate
to the bladder. As the prostate enlarges as it often does in old age,
a condition known as benign - no ca prostalic hypertrophy (enlargement)
occurs. The prostate sits at the neck of the bladder and any derangement
caused by any enlargement obstructed to a varying degree, the free flow
of urine from the bladder down the urethra - so does the carcinoma of
the prostate.
Investigation as to whether you do or you do not have a co prostate
depends upon a rectal examination, whereby the actual prostate can be
felt. In a positive case, the prostate will probably be enlarged, but
will certainly feel much more firm or hard compared to a normal organ.
There is a specific blood test called the PSA test to detect its presence
and this is an accurate test. The problem in the UK is that this test
is not routinely done on the NHS and costs at the moment - £80. If you
were in the USA it would cost £20.
Currently trials are being conducted to determine the potential benefits
and draw backs of a screening programme. It was only in September 2000
that the MOD's Alan Milburn announced a new package of £4.2m to research,
training and education in this field - a decision not before time.
Currently there has been much comment in the press about this problem.
Any comment is helpful and those made recently have been clear and concise
in their content and have reported fairly on the public speeches made
by prominent medical men on the subject. One such is Professor Myers,
Professor of Medicine & Urology - a subject to co prostate - at the
University of Virginia. He made the point that he himself had been recently
diagnosed as having this type of cancer and spoke both about his experience
as a doctor and a patient. In talking about the lack of resources and
treatment and research, he believe that there was a change ahead (in
the right direction) and that the message was one of hope.
If we applied all our present knowledge he thought that the number of
cases (in Scotland) could be halved. He advocated that blood test PSA
should be available and that screening should be introduced. The critics
said that this would cause un-necessary worry to people who might have
the condition but who did not require treatment. Professor Myers is
of the opinion that most people with cancers detected in this way can
be treated and will survive 10 years or more.
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