Prostate cancer awareness
If you are noticing more men sporting beards than before then there is a good reason for that. It’s the month of November and it seems the No Shave November movement is picking up here in our country as well. Nepali men too have been sporting facial hair in the name of health awareness.
Now, basically the goal of No-Shave November is to raise awareness by embracing our hair, which many cancer patients lose, and letting it grow wild and free. Many abroad even donate the money you typically spend on shaving and grooming towards cancer prevention, saving lives, and aiding those fighting the battle. Many men in particular also embrace this opportunity to talk about prostate cancer and The Week has decided to jump on the bandwagon too. We met up with urologist Dr Arjun Dev Bhatta to gather basic but important information on prostate and prostate cancer. Further, we also talked to some men who are wholeheartedly participating in this No Shave November movement.
What is the prostate?
Beardology 101
Only men have a prostate. The role of the prostate is to make seminal fluid, which is mixed with sperm to make semen.
What does it look like?
It is a walnut-sized gland situated just below the bladder, between the root of the penis and the anus. In older men, with prostate problems, it may swell from the size of a walnut to that of a plum.
How do I know if my prostate is healthy?
Urine flow is a good indicator of prostate problems. If the prostate becomes too big, one will have problems while urinating. This is common complaint among those suffering from prostate enlargement.
The reason for change in the pressure of urine flow can also be a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). According to Dr Bhatta, many patients confuse prostate enlargement and prostate cancer and consider them to be the same. This is apparently the biggest myth among patients.
Is age a factor?
Prostate cancer usually affects men over 50 and approximately half of the people in this age group show signs of prostate enlargement. Dr. Bhatta suggests regular screening and check up starting from the age of 40.
Prostate cancer doesn’t always affect the urinary stream until the disease has advanced, so it isn’t a reliable indicator on its own. However, there are some telltale signs of prostate enlargement. Some symptoms to look out for are: need to get up more than usual at night to urinate, dribbling before or after urinating and a weak urine flow.
Less common symptoms include pain in the testicles, problems getting an erection, pain when ejaculating or passing urine, and blood in the urine.
With younger men, prostatitis, which is inflammation or infection of the prostate, is more common. They are more prone to this than BPH.
Prostatitis can be caused by bacteria that leak into the prostate gland from the urinary tract (the most common bacterial cause) and from direct extension or lymphatic spread from the rectum. It can also result from various sexually transmitted diseases. The symptoms associated with prostatitis can vary depending on the underlying cause of the problem but generally the signs include: Painful, difficult and/or frequent urinating, fever and chills, blood in the urine, groin, rectal, abdominal, and/or lower back pain.
Is there a genetic link?
Has your father, grandfather, uncle or brother had prostate cancer? If this is the case, then you have a greater risk of developing the disease. It’s hoped that in the future genetic profiling will be developed in order to identify men with high risk. Tell your doctor if any family members have had the disease so you can have regular blood tests to monitor your PSA.
What is a PSA test?
If your doctor wants to rule out prostate cancer, he will probably suggest that you have a PSA test. This is a blood test that measures the level of a protein called prostate specific antigen (PSA). PSA is produced in the prostate gland and found in small amounts in the blood.
A raised PSA level can be a warning sign of prostate cancer. It can also indicate other problems that aren’t cancerous as international studies show that three out of four men with a raised PSA level do not have prostate cancer. However, the higher the PSA level, the greater the likelihood of cancer.
