There are some prostate cancer forums such as  http://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35, http://www.cancerforums.net/forum-5.html,  that have lots of useful information for prostate cancer patients and their families.  There are lots of other forums, personal webpages, blogs written by prostate cancer patients and experts.

<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->

Lots of the forums have moderators with lots of experience with this disease. For anyone who has diagnosed with prostate cancer or had found that he has the risk of developing in the future this desease this can be a very hard to cope situation. Nothing prepares a person for this. Many men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer have heard about  this but haven't taken into consideration. The information that helps a person deal with this situation can be given by the doctor who has diagnosed this.

There are lots of information not covered in a simple conversation with your doctor. This happens many times because every person has his needs and his personal situation. The experts that you speak with can give you general information. For married couples there is always a good thing to go to research for information to the local organizations that deal with cancer patients. The easiest way to find all there is to know about prostate cancer is the internet. Just search for forums where you can discuss your particular situation with other patients that have the disease and patients that have been cured and also with experts.

You can raise a question and speak with other to find out how they have dealt with this. Many times this forums have helped couple to find the right method of treatment or the Cancer Treatment Centers that have affordable treatment plans.

Forums and blogs related to prostate cancer many times are maintained by Cancer Research Centers that give up to date information. Because of the slow developing rate of this disease  there is more time than with other form of cancer to read and decide what treatments are good. It is not uncommon that a patient to suggest to his doctor an innovative method of treatment.

I am not saying that your doctor doesn't have the latest information. All I want to say is that any doctor will decide to go to the method of treatment that has proved to be efficient. You can go into research groups to test new medications and treatments if you have good references about a new treatment.  Thisi involves the phase III and phase IV trial of a new medicine.

On forums you will find other related information such as how other prostate cancer patients have kept their marriage and what financial means they have found for the treatment. The wife of prostate cancer patient can be affected too by this disease because of the hormonal changes in the body of his husband and the lack of sexual interest. This can strengthen or destroy a couple if there are no strong communication skills involved. Forums can have such experiences that can help new couple find the right way to cope with it. The prostate cancer can be treated in early stages and due to the slow growth there is a high survival rate even in cases when the prostate cancer hasn't been identified but stayed in the early stages.

The Marie Keating Foundation encourages men to get talking about their health. This foundation's campaigns are focused on informing men how to reduce the risk of developing cancer. Statistical data state that one of two hundred Irish men have the risk of developing testicular cancer, the risk of developing bowel cancer can occur at one in nineteen Irish men and one in nine men have the risk of developing prostate cancer.
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
The foundation has developed a website where men can ask medical expert about the various types of men cancer. The survival rate from prostate cancer has increased to almost 80% due to the help given by this Foundation and their campaign over early detection of cancer risk. Men older than 65 have a higher risk of more than 75 % of developing cancer, but also men under the age of 50 are exposed to this risk even though there are smaller chances that this can happen to them.

Another Irish site dedicated towards informing men about the risks and method of treatment of prostate cancer is http://www.cancer.ie/prostate/. This site is maintained by the Irish Cancer Society that has developed a program called Action Prostate Cancer to inform and support men with this health problem. The specialist cancer nurses of this site can provide expert information, advice and support to those affected by prostate cancer.

There are no symptoms in early stages of prostate cancer. Many prostate cancer experts from Ireland try to include in governmental regulation that all men should get a test at the age of 40 because one single PSA test can show if a man is at risk of developing prostate cancer and take early actions for treatment.  The presence of prostate cancer can be pointed by raised PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) and that's why blood test and investigations are necessary earlier than 40 years.

Risk factors that can cause prostate cancer are the age, the genetic inheritance if in a family one member had prostate cancer there is high risk of developing prostate cancer over time. The diet can be a risk factor too. A diet without enough green vegetables and lot of high fat dairy products and red meat can lead to prostate cancer. National Cancer Registry from Ireland has estimated an increase of 275 per cent increase in the incidence of prostate cancer until 2020 thus will be 3768 new cases every year.

The most common cancer in men is the prostate cancer. This is a slow growing for of cancer and at least 30 percent of patients diagnosed with this form of cancer have a chance of surviving it. Early screening and testing can improve treatment of prostate cancer. One methods used for screening prostate cancer in men are blood test to measure PSA (prostate specific antingen). There are natural nutritional supplements that can support healthy prostate. Prostate health is important to all men not only the one at the age of 40. A healthy prostate can support the normal urinary flow and can help the sexual life of a couple.

Affections of the prostate - The prostate is a delicate organ and quite moody, requiring careful treatment, but it is most of the times neglected by most men. Prostatitis is a prostate infection that occurs mainly in young men. The adenoma is a benign tumor, known as the prostatic hypertrophy. Prostate cancer, commonly developing in men over 50 years, occupies an important place in Urologic Pathology.

<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->

It has a clinical slow course, insidious, with no immediate events, unnoticeable, being often found incidentally, in a general clinical examination.

Epidemiology - As frequency, prostate cancer ranks third in men after lung cancer and stomach cancer, forming the fourth cause of death by cancer. Worldwide distribution shows excellent growth, especially in the Nordic countries: Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland in the West. Prostate cancer is rare in Eastern Europe and very rare in Asia.

Risk factors:
-Age is, undoubtedly, the main risk factor. Almost 3 / 4 ¾ of prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over 65 years.
-Family history. Studies show an increase of 2 to 5 times the risk in men with a family history versus no family history. Currently, specialist teams are looking for the gene responsible for the generation of prostate tumors (in 1999 HPC 1 gene was identified, by teams of U.S. scientists and Sweden), research is in progress.
-Endocrine factors: nearly 80 percent of prostate cancers are hormone.
-Prostate adenoma, although a benign lesion, is considered a lesion border (15 percent can generate a prostate cancer).
-Vasectomy as contraception, may lead to prostate hypertrophy, increasing the risk of prostate cancer.
-Food-factor- It was found that a diet containing fat (especially animal fat), can promote prostate cancer. Cancer occurs more frequently in vegetarians and has a high frequency in those with high protein food and sweets, associated with alcohol and tobacco.

At the same time, people who are consuming more than 2-3 times these foods have fewer chances of developing prostate cancer, than those who do not eat fish at all, or eat in very small quantities. Known Swedish magazine "The Lancet" published the results of his research, carried out within 30 years a lot of 6272 Swedes, of 466 were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Recent studies, although controversial, also suggests that a regimen rich in calcium but low in fructose, increases the risk of prostate cancer.
- Excessive sexual activity and multiple partners increase the risk of prostate cancer
- Specific and nonspecific infections: prostatitis treated incorrectly, viral infections (herpes and papilloma).

Cancer - As noted above, prostate cancer is a slow clinical course and without evidence of immediate symptoms and most times it is not noticeable. It is therefore very important that in their 50 years, men go to the doctor once a year for a rectal examination. This can be done by any doctor, regardless of specialty. Besides the digital rectal exam, if there is any suspicion of cancer, there should be made a biopsy and blood analysis, which allows determination of a substance called prostate specific antigen - Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA).

If there are prostate cancer cases in the family history, it is better that such testing be done, starting from the age of 40. In case you are interested in the best doctors in Maryland for prostate cancer, you can ask the advice of your family doctor or search on the internet for best doctors in Maryland for prostate cancer. You should be able to find on forums the names of some good doctors.

Now I know that prostate cancer is no joke, it a serious affliction. To prove it I will share with you my knowledge in the matter. The prostate is a gland surrounding the urethra. Prostate cancer occurs once the cells in the prostate tissue start developing abnormally and start dividing chaotically.

<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->

This causes the appearance of a tumor, which can later start spreading cancer cells throughout the body, a process called metastasis. The disease occurs in older men, usually aged over 50, and it often happens that people die with the disease and not from the disease, which means that usually the cause of death is usually not the prostate cancer, but the cancer is there nonetheless, just taking its time in evolving.

This is not the point. The other day, I was walking to the store to get various groceries, when I see a sign on a post, reading “Prostate cancer gay support group”. My initial reaction was to chuckle. Later, I chuckled some more. And I still chuckle as I am writing these words.

Allow me to explain. First of all, prostate cancer is not what you might call the “plague of the sexually vague” or some other thing like that. I don’t even know if there is a particular disease associated with homosexuality. So, prostate cancer is not solely for gay men, and the fact that you are gay has no bearing on the evolution of the disease. This means that if you have prostate cancer, and you are gay, you might need to support groups: one for prostate cancer and one for being gay. If you are trying to kill two birds with one stone, congrats, but I never imagined that support groups could be so specialized or so discriminating (come to think of it).

Indeed, in order to confirm or reach a prostate cancer diagnosis, the doctor needs to perform a digital rectal examination. I assume you know what a digital rectal examination means. However, I must add, this does not mean that you are gay. And again, you can go to regular prostate cancer support groups and receive all the benefits of groups therapy in that environment.

Beyond all this, I am fairly confident that if, God forbid, you find out that you have prostate cancer, and you are having trouble coping, and there is nobody there to give you a shoulder to cry on, then you should seek out a prostate cancer support group. Also, I am equally confident that as soon as you walk in the door of said group, nobody will ask you about your sexual preference. If somebody does, indeed, find out that you are gay, then, again, I am fairly confident that you will not be removed from the room with bells on. Lastly, I would think that people looking for “prostate cancer gay support groups” are doing so out of the belief that gay people are more sympathetic, or they know how to comfort each other better. This is false.