Prostate cancer is a cancer that develops in the prostate gland found in men and its incidence is gradually increasing in India, now with an incidence between 5 to 9 per 100,000 population globally, where 8 About 1 in 3 men develops prostate cancer. Lifelong. The problem with prostate cancer is that most of the symptoms are subtle, so most prostate cancer patients are seen coming to doctors complaining of back pain, which means they already have cancer that has spread to the bones of the spine. Already happened.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Anil Herur, HOD and senior consultant, Surgical Oncology at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, revealed, “A lot of these patients first go to orthopedics because of back pain until they are diagnosed with That this is a symptom of cancer. ‘Looking back, he had symptoms that could be linked to prostate cancer but unfortunately, they were ignored.’
Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer:
Dr. Anil Heror shared, “Early prostate cancer has symptoms like increased frequency of urination. There may or may not be pain in the lower abdomen, there may be blood with urine, there may be dripping after urination and there may also be difficulty in urinating. All these symptoms are related to enlargement of the prostate gland. Therefore, whenever someone sees these symptoms, they should immediately consult a doctor and get themselves examined. This is because benign enlargement of the prostate is the most common cause of these symptoms and the percentage of cases in which prostate cancer may develop is high.
Steps to be taken after symptoms emerge:
Dr. Anil Heror suggested, “First of all, one should not delay and consult a uro-oncologist or surgical oncologist as the best option can be given by these specialists only. Secondly, many patients have what is called ‘benign prostatic hyperplasia’, which is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate, but the chance of this occurring in older men is about 50 percent. This can increase to about 70 percent in individuals above 50 years of age and 60 years of age. However, the incidence of prostate cancer is around one in eight, and so one must rule out prostate cancer if there is benign prostatic hyperplasia.
He added, “There are two ways one can rule out cancer, a blood test called PSA, which is prostate-specific antigen. This is a blood test that is highly suggestive of prostate cancer that is slightly advanced. The second test is to undergo a biopsy. Although many people fear that a biopsy might spread the cancer, however, this is a myth. A biopsy involves inserting a small needle into the prostate gland and taking a little bit of tissue for testing. “This will help determine whether it is benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer.”
treatment:
According to Dr. Anil Heror, the treatment of prostate cancer has now advanced and is of three types – surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, which also includes hormonal therapy. He elaborated:
- Now surgeries are performed robotically, so morbidity and recovery are much better than before.
- Chemotherapy is given for stage 4 prostate cancer, especially when it is not responding to hormonal therapy. It has developed a lot and its side effects are also less.
- Radiation for prostate cancer can also be given with good cure rates.
- In patients who have advanced prostate cancer, hormonal manipulation is performed which means that the male hormone testosterone is suppressed by giving injections or by removing the testicles, which results in control of the disease.
He concluded, “Overall, prostate cancer is something that is very well treated when diagnosed in its early stages. If treated promptly, the recovery rate is 90 percent. Therefore, men should pay attention to the early symptoms of prostate cancer, get an early diagnosis and get appropriate treatment so that they can completely recover from this disease.
