Many men, especially those later in life have made the decision with their doctors to simply watch and wait. Early prostate cancer is confined to the prostate gland itself; most of the patients with this type of cancer can live for years without any problems.

Cancer that grows in the prostate gland is called prostate cancer. About one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only one man in 34 will die of the disease. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the U.S. At an advanced age, the risks of surgery for prostate cancer or other more radical treatments may actually be worse than the disease.

One symptom is a need to urinate frequently, especially at night. Weak or interrupted flow of urine and painful or burning urination can be symptoms to watch out for. There may be other symptoms not mentioned here.

One prostate cancer symptom is difficulty starting urination or holding back urine. Having one or more cancer symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer. Most prostate cancer symptoms, although associated with prostate cancer, are more likely to be connected to non-cancerous conditions.

One downside to PSA testing is that health care providers are detecting and treating some very early-stage prostate cancers that may never have caused the patient any harm. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test measures the PSA enzyme in your blood for abnormalities. The decision about whether to pursue a PSA test should be based on a discussion between you and your doctor.

There are several potential downsides to PSA testing; for example a high PSA does not always mean a patient has prostate cancer. What is called a free PSA may help tell the difference between BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy), an enlargement of the prostate gland, and prostate cancer. A bone scan can indicate whether the cancer has spread or not.

Surgery, called a radical prostatectomy, removes the entire prostate gland and some of the surrounding tissues. Since prostate tumors require testosterone to grow, reducing the testosterone level is used to prevent further growth and spread of the cancer. What you can do now is begin to understand what exactly your treatment options are and where you’re going to begin.

In the early stages, surgery and radiation may be used to remove or attempt to kill the cancer cells or shrink the tumor. Medications can have many side effects, including hot flashes and loss of sexual desire. Urinary incontinence can be a possible complication of surgery.

In patients whose health makes the risk of surgery unacceptably high, radiation therapy is often the chosen conventional alternative. Radiation therapy to the prostate gland is either external or internal, both of which use high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Whether radiation is as good as prostate removal is debatable and the decision about which to choose, if any, can be difficult.

Some drugs with numerous side effects are being used to treat advanced prostate cancer, blocking the production of testosterone, called chemical castration; it has the same result as surgical removal of the testes. Surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy and chemotherapy all have significant side effects; know fully what they are before you proceed.

Many men simply want the best treatment they can get but what’s important is picking the best treatment for you.

Other medications used for hormonal therapy, with side effects, include androgen-blocking agents, which prevent testosterone from attaching to prostate cells. Thoroughly discuss your treatment options and concerns with your doctor and other health professionals; it never hurts to get a second or even third opinion or more if necessary.

With the advent of PSA testing, most prostate cancers are now found before they cause any symptoms. If you haven’t been diagnosed but are concerned about symptoms you should call for an appointment to see your doctor; and if you’re a man older than 50 who has never been screened for prostate cancer (by rectal exam and/or PSA level determination) or not had a regular annual exam, or have had a family history of prostate cancer, make an appointment soon.

The outcome of prostate cancer varies greatly; mostly because the disease is found in older men who may have a variety of other complicating diseases or conditions, such as cardiac or respiratory disease, or disabilities that immobilize or greatly decrease their activities.

For more information on

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Although drug treatment and minor minimally invasive surgery can be the solution for many men suffering from BPH (a swollen or enlarged prostate), for others surgery is necessary and there are currently three main surgical procedures carried out for BPH treatment.

The first is known as a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). This is the commonest form of surgery used in BPH treatment and involves the removal of the inner core of the prostate. The procedure is performed under general anesthetic (or using a spinal anesthetic) and a wire cutting loop is inserted through the penis and urethra to remove tissue from the prostate. Patients will normally stay in hospital for one or two days for this procedure and, following surgery, will need to uses a catheter to drain the bladder for two or three days.

In cases where the prostate is not too enlarged a more limited form of surgery known as transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP) may be used. In this procedure instead of removing tissue from the prostate a series of cuts are made in the prostate to relieve pressure on the urethra. This procedure is again carried out under anesthesia and patients will remain in hospital for between one and three days.

In the case of both TURP and TUIP patients will normally require about two to four weeks for recovery and may experience moderate levels of pain or discomfort following surgery. The most commonly seen side effects of surgery are erection difficulty, which appears in about 3% to 13% of patients, and urinary retention, which appears in about 1% to 21% of patients. Some degree of urgency and frequency of urination will also be seen in most patients.

The final form of surgery used today is the open prostatectomy. Carried out under general anesthetic, an incision is made in the lower abdomen to allow the surgeon to gain access to the prostate and the inner core of the prostate is then removed. Patients will normally remain in hospital for several days and will also be required to use a catheter for a time at home after surgery. Recovery from open surgery typically takes about three to six weeks during which time patients may experience a moderate degree of pain or discomfort. The main side effect of open surgery is incontinence which will be seen in about 6% of patients.

Surgery is an excellent form of BPH treatment and can reduce BPH symptoms considerably for most men. It is not however 100% effective and some symptoms will often remain even after surgery.

One point to remember is that BPH treatment does not act as a treatment for prostate cancer. BPH treatment involving the removal of tissue from the prostate only removes tissue from the inner core of the prostate. Prostate cancer however normally first appears on the outer tissue of the prostate from where it will often spread. It is important therefore that BPH patients continue to have regular checkups and screening for prostate cancer.

For further information about prostatecancerexplained.com/bph.html” target=”_blank BPH treatment please visit prostatecancerexplained.com” target=”_blank Prostate Cancer Explained

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A recently completed University of Florida study has added to the buzz surrounding the Brazilian acai berry. The study is one of the first to research the many claims attributed to the acai fruit.

In its study, six different chemical extracts were made from acai berry pulp, and each extract was prepared in seven concentrations.

At least 4 of the extracts killed a great many cancer cells when applied for 24 hours or more. Anywhere from 35 percent to 86 percent of the cancer cells were destroyed, depending on the particular extract and concentration.

According to Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the study showed extracts from acai berries triggered a self-destruct response (apoptosis) in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested

Talcott, however, cautioned against reading too much into the results, noting that the tests were run against cancer cell cultures and not on human test subjects.

Still, the results are exciting. In the last year, the Brazilian berry has really taken off in the United States. It has also caught the attention of many companies who are now creating products that include the acai berry.

Although, acai berries are thought to be one of the richest fruit sources of antioxidants, other antioxidant rich fruits have been shown to kill cancer cells in similar studies.

Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Free radical damage is theorized to be one of the main causes of cancer. A sufficient amount of antioxidants are thought by many to short-circuit this process by interacting with and stabilizing the free radicals and may stopping the damage that they do to healthy cells.

Experts are divided on just what effect antioxidants have on cancer cells in the human body, because of the many other lifestyle factors that have to be factored into the equation.

Many anecdotal claims have been made for the acai berry. And traditionally Indians in the Brazilian rain forest have used it in ways as diverse as food, house thatching, drink, diarrhea, jaundice, fevers, and as treatment for many other health diseases.

The University of Florida study is a welcome step towards getting away from some of the claims of acai and subjecting it to controlled studies.

“A lot of claims are being made, but most of them haven’t been tested scientifically,” Talcott said. “We are just beginning to understand the complexity of the acai berry and its health-promoting effects.”

Jim Allen is researcher for
acai-berry-fruit-juice.com acai-berry-fruit-juice.com.

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Tags: leukemia

The overall consensus among the medical fraternity today is that a plant-based diet is best for reducing colon cancer risks. This type of diet has proven benefits for a healthy colon. Fiber should be an important constituent of one’s diet. Vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains are some of the things that are known to have high fiber content. They are an essential and non-digestible component of food. A high fiber diet actually supports a healthy digestive system by sweeping the debris that accumulates inside the colon, just like a broom. Fiber also exercises the intestinal tract.

A certain quantity of soluble, as well as insoluble, fiber is required for colon cleansing in our every day diet. Insoluble fiber is known to eliminate waste and prevent constipation. Soluble fibers are known to increase beneficial bacteria. Flax seeds and oats are good sources of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Other food items high in fiber content are brown rice, barley, cabbage, beets, carrots, peas, citrus and apples, to mention a few.

Green foods that contain a high amount of chlorophyll like alfalfa; wheatgrass, barley and spirulina are ideal for colon cleansing. The chlorophyll component is known to soothe and heal damaged tissue in the digestive tract. They also help the body draw more oxygen and remove toxins. Chlorophyll is also known as “the internal deodorant.”

Drinking plenty of water is another way of cleansing the colon. Since water is a universal solvent and an insufficient amount causes constipation and toxicity levels to increase, drinking lots of water is an absolute necessity for colon cleansing. The optimal levels can vary between six to ten glasses of water every day. Water is perhaps the most natural of all colon-cleansing agents. Keeping one’s colon clean keeps the tissues cleans and allows for the cells to rebuild.

e-ColonCleansing.com Colon Cleansing provides detailed information on Colon Cleansing, Natural Colon Cleansing, Colon Cleansing Products, Colon Detox Cleansing and more. Colon Cleansing is affiliated with e-ColonCancer.com Colon Cancer Treatment.

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Cancer occurs when cells within the human body develop abnormalities and begin
to multiply at abnormally fast rates. The result is the growth of tumors in or
on the surface of the body and organs. Tumors may be benign (not cancerous) or
malignant (cancerous). Because normal cell development and duplication is a
slow process which is well-controlled, it is apparent when cells duplicate so
rapidly.

Malignant tumors require immediate containment and treatment, as malignant
growths may expand rapidly and metastasize (spread throughout the body) at an
alarming rate. Metastasis are secondary tumors which can appear at any location
throughout the body, which are a direct effect of cancer spreading via blood and
lymph nodes.

Cancer is merely a term used to describe a large variety of diseases,
impacting very different parts of the body in very different ways. There are
two large categories into which all cancer types can be separated:
hematological, which are blood borne cancers and solid tumors, which are the
growths described above. Each type of cancer has a unique name, most of the
time coming from the area of the body which is primarily affected. For example,
soft tissue cancers are cancerous growths which occur within the deep muscle or
connecting tissues throughout the body. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer,
which affects cells containing skin pigments.

As the leading cause of death in the United States, cancer receives a huge
amount of attention from researchers and research hospitals dedicated to
determining the cause and searching for cures. Approximately one half of men
and one third of women will develop some type of cancer during their lifetime.
Optimism is key, however, as millions of people are now living cancer free
thanks to the efforts of researchers and the donations of people across the
world.

Everyone is at risk for developing cancer; however lifestyle changes such as
quitting smoking and reducing alcohol intake could increase a person’s chance of
not developing some cancers. Also, healthy living and dietary choices can also
ensure that should a person get cancer they are more able to fight it. It is
also important to see your physician for exams on a regular basis in order to
ensure that proper testing can be done if a problem is suspected.

Some cancers are
gender specific, however even breast cancer can be found in 1% of men in the
United States. Women are susceptible to ovarian, uterine and vaginal cancer
while men only can contract penile and prostate cancer.

Written by

Joe Lovrek

expresslinking.com/ Express Linking

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