Chapter 5: Prostate Cancer (Health Issues)

Risk Factors

*According to "Prostate Cancer Risk Factors and Treatment"* the Star Ledger (November 2015), the major risks include high-fat diet and genetics Anti-histamines, cough syrup, decongestants, caffeine, alcohol, and acidic or spicy foods can affect bladder or prostate function

Cancer Deaths

27,000 will die of the disease, making it the second leading cause of cancer in men after lung cancer a) prostate cancer accounts for 36% of all male cancers in the USA and 13% of cancer-related deaths in males b) if all men get biopsied, 60% of those over age 60 would have prostate cancer as well as 70% of those age 70

Why is this a Problem?

5 year survival rate is 96.2% in black men compared to 99.6% in white men a) 74% of prostate cancer in blacks are discovered in local stage b) 5 year survival rate is 98% in these individuals - survival rate is only 30% when cancer has spread

Facts about Survival

99% of all men with the most common type will survive beyond 5 years after prognosis a) the incidence of prostate cancer is 60% higher among African Americans than white men b) uninsured Latinos with prostate cancer are 3.75 times more likely to be diagnosed at a late stage

Reasons

African American men are not recieving comparable treatment a) blacks with the disease live as long as their white counterparts when they recieve the same treatment b) African Americans treated when the disease becomes more advanced >> whites have greater awareness and access to medical care

Decline of Cancer

Between 2000 to 2006, the incidence of prostate cancer in the US decreased significantly by 2.4% per year a) as a result of widespread application of prostate-specified antigen (PSA) b) no direct evidence exists to date to show that PSA screening decreases the prostate cancer mortality rate

Facts about Survival

In turn, the 5 year survival rate is adversely affected a) 69% of men who lack knowledge about prostate cancer had an income of less than $35,000 a year b) The American Cancer Society confirms that some 221,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in the US annually

PSA Facts

a researcher found that black and Latino men were less likely to undergo surgery or radiation than were whites a)When prostate cancer is discoverable with PSA analysis, PSA levels will be above the normal level of 4, but if levels register in the grey zone of 4-10, there is only a 25 percent change possibility of having cancer b) an elevated PSA, however, may not necessarily mean cancer

Symptoms

a) painful urination and ejaculation b) frequent urination - symptomizes diabetes c) inability to urinate or hold urine pain in lower back, hip or upper thigh d) blood in urine e) sensation of incompleteness of emptying the bladder Digital Rectal Exam to feel for hard spots or bumps on the prostate

Etiology

abnormal growth in the prostate cell, causing the prostate to become enlarged and obstructing urethra which blocks the normal flow of urine *Looks like:* a walnut in young men and doubling in size by age 60 - prostate is located behind the bladder *Works to:* produce nutrients that aid in the survival and viability of sperm in seminal vesicles

Treatment

all males over the age of 40-50 should consider getting a prostate exam as part of a routine annual physical a) Surgery- remove prostate b) Radiation therapy c) Hormone therapy d) Minimally invasive laser procedure - target cancerous mass e) Proton/x-ray therapy- new form

Cancer Killers in all Ethnicities

colorectal cancers remain the second leading cause of cancer deaths, claiming the lives of nearly 50,000 Americans each year 1. Lung Cancer 2. Colon-Rectal Cancer 3. Breast Cancer 4. Stomach Cancer 5. Prostate Cancer 6. Bladder Cancer 7. Oral Cancer 8. Skin Cancer 9. Cancer of Uterus 10. Ovarian Cancer

Prostatic Hypertrophy

enlargement of the prostate due to the aging process and testosterone levels a) can begin to enlarge at the age of 40-45 due to blockage, irritation, genetics, and other factors b) can expand to the size of a grapefruit or an orange c) enlarged prostate does not necessarily mean cancer is present

Proton Therapy Treatment

kills cancer cells by preventing them from dividing and growing a) effective in treating many types of tumors b) *Benefits:* allows patients to receive higher doses with less damage to nearby tissue c) protons can be controlled via putting greatest amount of radiation into tumor then stopping d) preferred option for treating tumors in children - more precise, less complications, less radiation

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

non-cancerous urological disease that occurs frequently in men in ages over 50 a) If untreated, can lead to irreversible bladder or kidney damage b) Tragis Microwave System non-surgical, catheter-based technology that uses microwave energy to reduce the size of the prostate

Men and Prostate Changes

over half of American males over the age of 50 have the likelihood of experiencing some type of symptoms as a function of changes to prostate a) A large percentage of blacks do not have health insurance and a lower quality of healthcare b) lessens the likelihood that cancer will be discovered at an early localized stage

Facts

prostate cancer accounts for 36% of cancer cases- highest incidence of all cancers (incidence increases with age) Black Americans have the highest incidence in the world a) they are two times more likely to have prostate cancer than whites b) familial predisposition for 5-10% of cases

Prostate Cancer in African American Males

prostate cancer rates among African American men in Newark are among the highest in the nation a) Mortality from 2000-2011 53.1 per 100,000 among African Americans 27.1 per 100,000 among whites b) although rates are declining, rates in black men remain more than twice as high c) 19% of all deaths are caused by prostate cancer

Tobago and Trinidad

the highest mortality rate of prostate cancer is in Trinidad and Tobago a)significant precautions include high fiber diet and annual PSA testing b)compliance results suggest that early detection programs can achieve long-term participation in a well population

Minimally Invasive Procedure

used to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), which is enlargement of the prostate a) considered as effective as conventional surgery b) has shorter recovery time and fewer side effects

Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate

uses high powered laser to vaporize and remove enlarged tissue in the prostate patients usually leave the hospital within hours and can return to normal activities within days