The prostate is a male specific gland and an important part from the reproductive system because it is responsible with the storing and making of the semen.

An interesting fact about the prostate is that any hormonal problems can gravely affect its well functioning; it is not uncommon to talk about prostate diseases and disorders such as the benign prostatic hyperplasia or the enlargement of the gland, prostatitis and even cancer.

Cancer is a common disease and the prostate cancer is the second most frequent type of cancer affecting men from all over the world; in America for examples only the lung cancer it is said to cause more deaths than the prostate one.



Cancer is often regarded as an abnormal medical condition because it develops only when the defensive system of the organism works badly and the normal biological functions such as the apoptosis or the programmed cell death and the mitosis or cell division don’t operate properly.

A more interesting prostate cancer fact is that normal factors such as age, genetic inheritance, alimentation, living environment and even race can be seen as the main causes for such a terrible disease. Usually prevention measures are recommended but some of these factors can not be avoided and this is the main reason why the medical researchers suggest doing the routinely screening tests for an early detection of cancer cells.

In the first stage the malignant tumor is confined in the infected organ but without any treatment or medication to stop or delay its spreading, the size of the tumor doubling once every four years, the cancer cells will eventually reach out from the prostate capsule and infect surrounding and local areas until they reach to far distance regions by traveling through the blood vessels and lymph system, and developing secondary but small tumors near vital organs such as the liver and lungs, infecting even the brain and the entire bone system in the last stage, the metastatic stage.

Another interesting fact about the progression of the prostate cancer is that this disease has no early symptoms or signs to make it detectable in early stages; when the cancer began its spreading process the signs will soon emerge and the commonly reported ones are frequent but painful urination, weak urine stream or urinary dribbling, urine odor and burning while urinating, blood in the semen or urine, prostate blockage or inflammation, painful ejaculation, leg pain or ache, prostatitis and bacterial prostatitis, compression of the spine and other bone related problems, abdomen and chest pain, etc.

The screening tests and the prostate biopsy remain the most efficient methods of identifying a prostate cancer. The screening tests include two methods of detecting: using the prostate specific antigen blood tests to measure the levels of the prostate specific antigen protein which should be low and by using the digital rectal examination performed by palpating the size of the prostate gland by inserting a gloved finger directly into the rectum and determining the size of the gland or searching for any abnormality on the surface of this organ such as a hardness or lump.



The results of the screening tests have to be interpreted by the medical specialists because they don’t clearly indicate the existence of cancer or not; the prostate biopsy will give an accurate diagnose after analyzing some tissue samples, complemented by new methods of detection such as the prostate mapping or nomogram.

The important facts on the prostate cancer will be established only after the staging and grading processes with the help of the Whitmore-Jewett or TNM staging system and the popular Gleason scale.

Actually, the prognosis for the outcome of the prostate cancer can be difficult and there are two options: whether the patient will respond well to the prescribed treatment or this very treatment will prove to be inefficient in stopping or delaying the progression.

Another reason why the prognosis is challenging is because each cancer has its unique features so the same type of cancer can develop differently in different patients in different periods of time at different stages with different effects.

Every year the prostate cancer medical research departments from all over the world announce discoveries more or less important in the treatment field; the fact remains that the old procedures such as prostatectomy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy and chemotherapy are still the best ones available out there.

The medical researchers focus more in understanding the process of spreading and the evolution of cancer and how can they effectively cure it without affecting the general health of a person.