Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. One in seven is at risk of having it. It is also the second leading cause of death from cancer in men. It is not easy to detect this disease because prostate cancer most often progresses without apparent symptoms. Nevertheless, warning signs can alert you.
Prostate cancer most often appears in men from the age of 50 and its frequency increases with age. On average, most cases are diagnosed around age 70. Prostate cancer particularly affects men who have a family history of the same nature and its development is slow (between 10 and 15 years)
We speak of prostate cancer when a malignant tumor (that is to say a set of cells that escape the body's control and which begin to multiply in an anarchic way and to proliferate) is detected at the level of the prostate, gland of the male reproductive system that produces seminal fluid, one of the components of semen. This organ is the size of a walnut and is surrounded by a kind of capsule. The prostate, which is located under the bladder, in front of the rectum, surrounds the urethra, which allows urine to be evacuated.
Prostate cancer can be “localized”:cancerous cells are present only in the prostate itself. It can also be 'extracapsular', a term that describes cancer that is no longer limited to the prostate as cancer cells pass out of the capsule into nearby blood vessels, then into surrounding lymph nodes, and into the the most severe cases, migrate to other organs such as the liver, lungs, bones and form metastases.
The problem with prostate cancer is that it doesn't cause symptoms in its early stages. Nevertheless, certain warning signs due in particular to enlargement of the prostate should call for vigilance.
Generally, these manifestations, which can be a harbinger of prostate cancer, are different depending on the evolution of the disease.
Early warning signs of prostate cancer:
Other warning signs if the cancer is more advanced:
In case of warning signs of prostate cancer, it is advisable to talk to your doctor. He will decide whether or not to carry out examinations depending on your age, your general condition, and the degree of progression of the prostate cancer. Your doctor may also refer you to a urologist for further examinations.
Some prostate cancers may only require active surveillance when localized. In this case, periodic reviews are carried out. Thus, the patient must regularly submit to a clinical examination (rectal examination which makes it possible to check the volume, the surface and the consistency of the prostate), to a blood test to measure the level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) , a substance produced by the prostate, and a biopsy.
Other more advanced prostate cancers, or those at risk of getting worse, often require combined treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy and possibly chemotherapy.
