Prostate Cancer - Medtick
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Prostate Cancer

What is it?

Cancer of the prostate gland.

  • The prostate then presses against the bladder and urethra (the tube where urine flows) and affects the flow of urine.
  • It is the most common cancer in men and affects mainly older men over 50 years old.
  • Prostate cancer is usually slow growing and can be present for a number of years before it is detected.

Diagnosis Tests

There are variety tests to confirm this condition from physical examinations to the  detecting levels of prostate-specific antigens in the blood (please note this test is not specific to detecting cancer of the prostate merely an indicator).

  • There is no single PSA level that is considered ‘normal’ as it varies from man to man and the normal level increases with age. As a guide:
    • 3ng/mL or less is normal for a man aged under 60 years;
    • 4ng/mL or less is normal for a man aged 60–69 years;
    • 5ng/mL or less is normal for a man aged over 70 years.

    A reading higher than 10ng/mL can be an indication of a non-cancerous (benign) enlargement of the prostate gland. However, the higher the level of PSA, the more likely it is that the patient has prostate cancer.

Cancer Research UK. Prostate cancer tests.

Available at: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org
/about-cancer/type/prostate-cancer/diagnosis/prostate-cancer-tests (accessed June 2015).

  • If the PSA test result is outside the age-specific reference range and a hard, irregular prostate is felt on DRE, the patient should be referred to a hospital urologist urgently and should be seen within two weeks. If the PSA test result is borderline normal and there is doubt about whether to refer, a second PSA test should be performed after an interval of six to eight weeks. If the second test indicates that the PSA level is rising, the patient should be referred urgently.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Guidelines. Suspected cancer: recognition and referral [NG12].
Available at: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng12
(accessed June 2015).

  • Patients with lower urinary tract symptoms with high PSA levels should be referred urgently.

Gleason grading system

Cause

Syndromes

Vitamins, herbals and minerals

Symptoms

  • Anaemic (i.e. lack of oxygen in blood, due to lack of iron, folic acid or heavy blood loss)?
  • Blood in urine?
  • Difficult to start urinating and stop urinating?
  • General discomfort (muscle weakness), uneasiness or ill feeling (malaise) and/or fatigue (tiredness)?
  • Feeling bladder has not fully emptied after urinating making infections (cloudy-smelly urine, fever, nausea and vomiting, pain in abdomen) more likely?
  • Aching, painful muscles, muscle cramps/spasms/stiffness?
  • Joint stiffness and pain?
  • Increase thirst, heavy sweating and need to urinate frequently?
  • Pain in pelvis area, lower back?
  • Pain when urinating?
  • Strain to urinate due to weak flow?
  • Weight loss?
  • Any unknown lumps or swellings on any part of body (particularly lower legs)?
  • Erectile dysfunction?

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Medical Emergency Condition

And/or do not wait, phone for an ambulance if have or develop:

This condition may show similar symptoms to:

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice

Detailed Information

Please copy and paste any key words from the title: Prostate Cancer in the following respective 'Medtick References and/or Sources' to find out more about the disease (this also may include diagnosis tests and generic medical treatments).

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