The Male and his Prostate
If you are a male and you are in your 40s or 50s the question of whether to screen or not for prostate cancer will come up even if you do not have any symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that there is good evidence that the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test that was approved in 1986 by the Food and Drug Administration can detect prostate cancer in the early stage when treatment is the most effective. The evidence however, is mixed and inconclusive about if early detection actually saves lives. In fact, a study that was published in Jan of 2006 found that PSA screening indeed does not decrease deaths from prostate cancer. On the other hand evidence says that because there is a drop in prostate cancer rates that these could be due in part to PSA testing. There are indeed conflicting answers to whether or not screening has had an affect on the death rate of prostate cancer.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) states that prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among males in the U.S.
Doctors encourage males over age 50 to have routine screenings for prostate cancer.
There are other health concerns involving the prostate besides cancer. Including cancer, the three main problems men can face with their prostate are inflammation, and infection of the prostate called, “prostatitis”; enlargement of the prostate, called “benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH); and prostate cancer.
There are four main types of prostate syndromes including acute bacterial prostatitis, chronic bacterial prostatitis, and chronic nonbacterial prostatitis-chronic pelvic pain syndrome and asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis. Enlarged prostate or BPH also called benign prostatic hyperplasia is a non-cancerous growth that results in an enlarged prostate. This enlargement of the prostate puts pressure on the urethra, which leads to urinary problems.
If a male notices symptoms associated with urination he should see his doctor. The doctor will do a digital rectal exam (DRE) so that the size and condition of the prostate can be determined. The doctor does this by inserting a gloved finger into the rectum. Special X-rays and scans of the urethra, bladder and prostate can also give the doctor results that can confirm problems with the prostate. BPH if diagnosed can lead to a weak bladder, kidney infections, and complete blockage of urine, and also kidney failure.
If a man does end up having prostate problems the good news is that there are effective treatments. If the diagnosis is BPH, there is no cure, however, the FDA has approved drugs that can bring relief from some of its symptoms. There are two major classes of drugs used to treat BPH that include 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors that shrink the prostate gland and include Proscar and Avodart and the 2nd class of drug is the Alpha-adrenergic receptor blockers which block adrenergic nerve receptors in the lower urinary tract. Drugs in this 2nd class include Cardura, Flomax, Hytrin, and Uroxatral. Alpha-blockers can improve the flow of urine and can also reduce other symptoms within days of starting the drug.
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