These 4 Crucial Symptoms May Mean You Have Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is among the most common cancers that you as a man can have – and it’s the second deadliest cancer among men after lung cancer. There are many prostate cancer treatments, including traditional means and MRI fusion biopsies, but how do you know which one is the best option for you? It can be hard to know, but it starts with recognizing the symptoms, then getting diagnosed.

However, prostate cancer symptoms can be confusing, as they are not uniform from man to man. Some men never experience symptoms while others aren’t sure if their symptoms are of actual cancer or of normal body functions. At the Prostate Cancer Specialists of Los Angeles, where we specialize in diagnosing and treating men with prostate cancer, we understand your confusion.

A Brief Overview

First of all, a diagnosis of prostate cancer is not a death sentence. Although many men do succumb to it, usually it’s because the cancer wasn’t detected early enough, or it was improperly diagnosed or treated.

Your prostate is a gland about the size of a walnut in your reproductive system. It is beneath your bladder, which is in front of your rectum and surrounds your upper urethra, the tube through which urine empties from your bladder. Your prostate regulates bladder control, nourishes your sperm, and produces the fluid responsible for mobilizing your semen during orgasm.

Because of this close symbiotic relationship between your prostate and both your urinary and sexual reproductive systems, most symptoms of prostate cancer are tied to changes in your urinary or sexual habits.

4 Crucial Symptoms That Could Signify Prostate Cancer

Not all men experience prostate cancer symptoms. Often, early detection of prostate cancer isn’t done until your doctor notices it during a regular check-up. However, a large number of men have changes in their sexual or urinary function that could be symptomatic of the disease.

Here are four crucial symptoms of prostate cancer:

Urinary Changes

Many men discount changes to their urine habits as being cancer symptoms because some of them can also signify other, unrelated conditions. For example, one of the main symptoms is a frequent need to urinate (particularly at night), which often can be nothing more than a result of drinking water or other liquids too close to bedtime.

Other changes to watch out for:

• Difficulty holding in urine
• Difficulty starting to urinate once at the toilet
• Weak, interrupted urine flow
• Painful, burning sensation while urinating

If you experience any of these, particularly the last two, on a persistent basis, you should schedule a prostate cancer detection consultation or exam soon.

Sexual Ability Changes

Unfortunately, yet understandably, too many men get embarrassed if they or their partners notice any unwanted changes in their sexual performance, so they ignore them while hoping that they’ll eventually disappear on their own.

This is a dangerous game to play, as they usually don’t go away and can signify crucial issues that you shouldn’t ignore.

Here are sexual performance-related issues to watch out for:

• Difficulty getting an erection
• Painful ejaculation
• Blood in your urine or semen

Unexplained Swelling or Numbness

This does not refer to swelling or numbness of your prostate, penis, or testicles. Instead, if you’ve noticed unexplained swelling in your legs or the general pelvic region, especially if it persists, this could signify something serious.

Furthermore, numbness in your hips, legs, or feet, these could also mean the presence of cancer in your prostate. In fact, it could indicate that it has spread.

Unexplained Pain or Stiffness

If you have frequent stiffness or pain in your lower back, hips, or thighs that doesn’t come from exercise or injury, this could be a sign, especially that it has spread to other parts of your body.

Another area where you shouldn’t ignore persistent pain is in your bones. Not only could chronic pain result in a fracture, it can also indicate that cancer is spreading.

Early Detection of Prostate Cancer is the Key

Because early prostate cancer detection can be the difference between survival and death, don’t ignore the aforementioned symptoms, especially if they persist or if you experience more than one of them simultaneously. Make an appointment to have a consultation and a diagnostic exam as soon as you can.

Traditional Biopsy Method

Traditional methods of prostate cancer detection include the use of ultrasound. One or two tissue samples are taken from each of the six zones in your prostate where cancer most commonly forms (six to 12 samples in all). This is very good for seeing larger tumors.

However, this method often misses smaller cancerous areas, as does having an MRI alone. These exams often are repeated if malignant areas aren’t detected on the first try.

A New Method: MRI Fusion Biopsies

These innovative prostate cancer detection methods employ sophisticated technology for better precision in targeted prostate biopsy. They are quicker and more complete than other methods. MRI fusion biopsies combine MRI and ultrasound technology to accurately find cancer and precisely extract a sample.

They are short and minimally invasive, requiring only local anesthesia, and they can provide early detection of prostate cancer that might otherwise be undetectable. Also referred to as a fusion guided biopsy, it accesses your entire prostate (compared to the less than 5% that conventional means do), which allows it prostate cancer detection in hard-to-reach tissue that otherwise would not be detected.

Simply put, better diagnostics leads to earlier prostate cancer treatment – and can be the key to your survival.

In a Nutshell: Prostate Cancer Symptoms

• Most of the time prostate cancer has no symptoms and that is a reason for annual screening by your physician
• Risk factors: African-American ethnicity and family history of prostate cancer, age
• Symptoms can include urinary changes, sexual changes, unexplained pain in pelvis, blood in ejaculate or urine, and unexplained bone fractures

Prostate Cancer Questions? Contact the Prostate Cancer Specialists

Although some prostate cancer symptoms don’t mean you have the disease, don’t ignore any symptoms you do have, especially if they persist. To discuss your condition, contact an expert Los Angeles urologist at the Prostate Cancer Specialists of Los Angeles online or at 310.499.2756.

Next, read 5 Ways Robotic Prostatectomy Beats Traditional Open Prostate Surgery

The post These 4 Crucial Symptoms May Mean You Have Prostate Cancer appeared first on Prostate Cancer Dr. in Los Angeles CA.

Are Prostate Cancer Cases on the Rise?

The bad news about prostate cancer is that it continues to be the second leading cause of death from cancer among men, even as awareness has increased and more effective screening methods and procedures are being used. The worse news, though, is that the number of cases might actually be on the rise despite our increased levels of knowledge and preparation.

At the Prostate Cancer Specialists of Los Angeles, we specialize in screening, diagnosing, and treating men with this disease. We are committed to decreasing the number of prostate cancer cases, and we want to help prevent you from becoming an unwanted, and avoidable, statistic.

Your Prostate and Cancer

Your prostate is an important, walnut-sized part of your reproductive system located just below your bladder, responsible for regulating bladder control. It also plays an important part in keeping your sperm nourished and healthy as well as in producing part of the seminal fluid that protects and transports your sperm during sexual activity. For this reason, this type of cancer is referred to as a male reproductive tumor.

Prostate cancer is a type of adenocarcinoma, which usually forms in glands that secrete mucus. Usually, cells in your prostate become cancerous due to the normal aging process, but other factors, such as smoking habits, the environment in which you work or live, and genetics, can contribute. The tumor often grows slowly and causes you little harm for years.

For this reason, successful treatment and recovery are possible – even expected – if you catch cancer in its earlier stages. Once it gets more aggressive and spreads outside your prostate, though, serious consequences are inevitable.

The Facts about Prostate Cancer

Provided you catch it early enough, you can easily survive prostate cancer. So why might prostate cancer rates be rising?

Let’s take a look at a few statistics first, according to a study recorded by Northwestern Medicine at Northwestern University.

• New cases of metastatic prostate cancer have risen more than 70% since 2004.
• The largest increase is in men aged 55 -69 years old (92%).
• The average PSA (prostate-specific antigen) in men with metastatic prostate cancer has nearly doubled from 25 to 49.

The first takeaway from these stats is that elevated levels of PSA, a protein produced by the cells of your prostate, often indicate the presence of cancer, so this increased average PSA value indicates that men, at the time of their diagnosis, are showing a more widespread extent of the disease than was previously shown.

Second, the increase of prostate cancer cases in men 55-60 is troubling because this is usually the age range believed to derive the greatest benefits from screening and early treatment.

Finally, the study took into consideration several suspected causes. Is the recent trend that fewer men are undergoing screening contributing to the increase? Or has the disease become more aggressive? Or is it both?

Suspected Reasons for the Increase

One suspected cause for the increase in metastatic cases is the fact that, since 2004, the number of men undergoing prostate cancer screening has noticeably declined. If fewer men are getting screened, then the slow-developing cancer is not being caught until men see their doctors only after they notice symptoms of the disease, at which point the tumor very likely has already spread to nearby parts of the body – or even further. This could certainly cause an increased rate of deaths from prostate cancer because, at this stage, treatment usually only slows the progression of the disease, not stops it.

However, fewer men getting screened doesn’t account for why the average PSAs are higher. Instead, many researchers attribute this to prostate cancer becoming more aggressive. This indicates that you should be more vigilant in getting screened; once you reach the age of 50, get examined by your doctor more frequently. This increases your chances of survival should you actually have prostate cancer.

What You Can Do to Avoid Being a Statistic

Early detection of prostate cancer is an obvious answer, which means you should not avoid getting screened if you’re 50 or older. Your screening should be individualized and tailored to address your particular concerns and state of overall health. What is prescribed or what works for someone else doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you. It can prevent you from being over- or under-diagnosed and then receiving ineffective or unnecessary treatment.

Early detection can be the difference between surviving the disease and succumbing to it. If you suspect you have signs of prostate cancer, make an appointment to have a consultation and a diagnostic exam as soon as you can.

In a Nutshell:

• Despite better screening and diagnosis methods, prostate cancer is still the second deadliest cancer in men
• Risk factors: Age, African-American ethnicity, family history, etc
• Screening: annual rectal exam and PSA value
• PSA (prostate specific antigen): a protein only made by prostate cells, which can be measured in the blood and most of the time is elevated in men who have cancer in their prostate
• Early detection is key: prostate cancer can be CURED (and not just treated) if diagnosed early enough (localized to the gland) and before becoming metastatic
• Rate of metastatic disease is again on the rise, possibly in part due to reduction in screening in the recent years and also possibly prostate cancer becoming more aggressive in general
• Don’t become a statistic! With proper screening and treatment prostate cancer is curable

Don’t Be a Statistic! Contact the Prostate Cancer Specialists of Los Angeles

This type of cancer is curable, but only when you get early screening and treatment. Although the increase in average PSA levels suggests the disease is becoming more aggressive, research continues trying to determine why metastatic cases are on the rise. To avoid being a statistic, contact an expert Los Angeles urologist at the Prostate Cancer Specialists of Los Angeles by visiting them online or calling 310.499.2756.

Next, read These 4 Crucial Symptoms May Mean You Have Prostate Cancer

The post Are Prostate Cancer Cases on the Rise? appeared first on Prostate Cancer Dr. in Los Angeles CA.

5 Ways Robotic Prostatectomy Beats Traditional Open Prostate Surgery

When you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you have to quickly make a multitude of important decisions to be sure you receive the best and most comprehensive treatment possible while minimizing the treatment side effects. One key decision is whether to undergo traditional radical prostatectomy or to opt for a minimally invasive prostate cancer treatment, such as the cutting-edge laparoscopic robotic radical prostatectomy using the minimally invasive da Vinci® robot system.

Why Choose the da Vinci Laparoscopic Procedure?

The following are five of the top reasons why the da Vinci laparoscopic surgery alternative will result in the best outcome with the fewest side effects:

1. Smaller Incisions

In a traditional surgical approach to radical prostatectomy, the Beverly Hills surgeon creates a long incision of 6” to 8” from the bottom of your belly button to the pubic bone. This opens up a large field of potential infection. The surgeon must often rest the long-handled instruments used in traditional surgery against the incision wall to create leverage sufficient to reach, dissect, and remove cancer, which may traumatize healthy tissue. The large incision takes longer to heal, increasing the chances for postsurgical bacterial infection and scarring.

With the da Vinci system of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy, 4 to 5 small incisions (most less than 1 inch, one may be up to 2 inches) are made. These smaller fields are inherently less liable to bacterial infection as a smaller amount of tissue is exposed. The sterile da Vinci robotic operating arms are guided by the surgeon into the specially designed sterile ports that go through these incisions, allowing them to accomplish their tasks precisely and quickly without the need for leverage or contact with the incision walls. This minimizes trauma to the incised skin.

The smaller incisions require fewer sutures, heal more quickly, and create less or even no scarring.

2. More Precision

The skill of the surgeon is as important in da Vinci laparoscopy as it is in traditional surgery. Therefore, the most important decision you make is who will perform your operation. The da Vinci system allows your Los Angeles surgeon a greater degree of visualization, dexterity, and precision than is possible using a traditional approach.

The da Vinci system’s Surgeon Console provides your surgeon a 10x magnified and three-dimensional view of the operating field during the entire operation. In a traditional operation, the surgeon has to stand for the entire procedure and look through the operating site to an often restricted view of the prostate and other structures. With da Vinci, your surgeon can choose a variety of high-resolution magnifications to visualize the prostate and surrounding tissue to a degree that is not possible in standard surgery. The surgeon can enhance, refine and optimize operative images using image synchronizers, high-intensity illuminators, and dual camera-controlled units.

As your surgeon begins the operation, the da Vinci System’s dexterous 1-cm robotic arms mirror the movements of the surgeon’s hands, wrists, and fingers, its sensitive electronics automatically scaling the movements to the size of the operating site. The degree of precision that is possible during this motion-scaling surgery for prostate cancer is nothing short of revolutionary.

Such precision greatly facilitates the identification and clean removal of all of the prostate tissue and significantly lessens the chance that something will be missed. The greater degree of visualization and the precision of the motion-scaling surgery also ensure that more of the healthy areas adjacent to the prostate will remain intact. It reduces trauma or damage to the nerves and other tissue that control essential functions such as urination and penile erections, causes less pain, and reduces the amount of bleeding.

3. Quicker Recovery (Shorter Hospital Stay)

Taken together, the greater precision and visualization, smaller incisions, increased dexterity, and shorter operation time means that your recovery will be faster with da Vinci than with traditional surgery in LA.

Because hospital rooms in LA and across the world are not as sterile as operating theaters, there is a greater risk of bacterial infection postoperatively. But with the da Vinci system, your smaller incision sites will heal faster and therefore have a far lesser chance of infection. The resulting scars are small or even invisible. Because surrounding tissue is not traumatized and no healthy tissue is inadvertently removed, healing time is also expedited.

4. Potential for Lower Side Effects

Although all surgery carries with it a high degree of risk, the da Vinci motion-scaling surgical system vastly lowers the incidence of side effects, most of which are caused either by infection or by inadvertent injury to surrounding healthy tissue. The da Vinci system, therefore, reduces the chances of unwanted outcomes such as urinary incontinence and impotence.

In addition, because the da Vinci system minimizes the amount of scar tissue on the interior walls of the incision, you will avoid the buildup of scar tissue that can sometimes interfere with how well the prostate functions postoperatively. Learn about the risks of traditional radical prostatectomy at WebMD.com.

5. Less Blood Loss

Multiple clinical studies have demonstrated that blood loss is much less with the da Vinci system compared to that of traditional surgery. With the da Vinci robotic system, you should also expect significantly less bleeding (less than one-third), a shorter hospital stay, early removal of the urinary catheter, and less need for pain medication. You will be able to resume normal activities within one to two weeks after your minimally invasive robotic surgery in Los Angeles.

In a Nutshell: What are the advantages of da Vinci® robotic radical prostatectomy?

• Smaller incisions
• Precision: 10x magnification, 3D camera, human wrist-like instruments
• Shorter hospital stay
• Significantly less blood loss (compared to open surgery)
• Better chance of removing all cancer (less “positive” surgical margins in a large study)
• Potential for better sexual and urinary outcomes after surgery

Call Comprehensive Urology in Beverly Hills at 310-499-2756 or use our online email form to schedule a consultation now.

Next, read about The Latest Advancements in Prostate Cancer Treatments

The post 5 Ways Robotic Prostatectomy Beats Traditional Open Prostate Surgery appeared first on Prostate Cancer Dr. in Los Angeles CA.

Experts Reveal How you can Help stop Prostate cancer

There are more than 40,000 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in the UK each year.

The most common form of cancer in British men, prostate cancer generally develops slowly and symptoms may not present for years, according to express.co.uk.

It is generally diagnosed when sufferers notice changes in their urinary patterns, once the prostate becomes large enough to impact the urethra.

Like many forms of cancer, the exact cause of prostate cancer is mostly unknown however there are certain things that will put someone more at risk of developing the disease.

Age is one of the key influences. According to the NHS, most cases develop in men aged 50 or over and if a direct relative has had prostate cancer, you also face greater risk.

As for prevention, there is no definitive way to stop the onset of the disease however there are steps you can take to minimize your chances of contracting it.

Urologist Hashim Ahmed of Nuada Urology said: “Prostate cancer prevention is quite a controversial area, although one can see the attraction of dietary manipulation to help ward off this disease.

“There is no definitive evidence on supplements or foods although some evidence does point to lifestyle changes that seem to be ‘prostate healthy’.

“These include nuts, broccoli, cooked tomatoes, green tea and pomegranate juice. Regular aerobic exercises, like brisk walking, jogging, swimming or cycling also seem to be beneficial and are obviously good for overall health as well.”

Harley Street dietitian Tara Whyand supports Ahmend’s recommendation. Below are her top tips to boost prostate health and reduce risk of developing the serious disease:

Read the full article here:  http://www.iran-daily.com/News/166751.html?catid=13&title=Experts-reveal-how-you-can-help-stop-prostate-cancer