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Prostate Problem Guide
The Dangers Posed By Prostatic Cancer
You have only to look at the statistics to realize that prostatic cancer is a major problem for the world's male population.
In the United States alone a man will be diagnosed as having prostatic cancer every two and a half minutes. That's pretty close to a quarter of a million American men who will be diagnosed with prostatic cancer this year!
Prostatic cancer is now the most commonly seen form of cancer in American men and is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. This year alone prostatic cancer is expected to claim the lives of more than 30,000 American men.
The dangers posed by prostatic cancer are very real and yet, strangely enough, a large percentage of the deaths we will see this year from prostatic cancer could have been avoided. But perhaps things are starting to change.
In recent years we have seen the deaths of a number of prominent individuals from prostatic cancer and, perhaps more importantly, have witnessed other well know figures talking openly and publicly about their own experiences of battling and overcoming this disease. And herein lies the problem.
Get a group of men together and they'll happily talk about sport or politics or even sex, but when it comes to personal matters concerning their own sexual organs and, in particular problems in that department, they won't say a word. They probably won't even mention it to their partners and certainly wouldn't dream of discussing it with their doctor. But why?
BONE SCAN: a technique more sensitive than conventional x-rays, it uses a radio labelled agent to identify abnormal or cancerous growths within or attached to bone; in the case of prostate cancer, a bone scan is used to identify bony metastases which are definitive for cancer which has escaped from the prostate; metastases appear as 'hot spots' on the film; however the absence of hot spots does not prove the absence of tiny metastases.
EXPERIMENTAL: an unproven (or even untested) technique or procedure; note that certain experimental treatments are commonly used in the management of prostate cancer.
LOCALIZED: restricted to a well defined area.
SALVAGE: a procedure intended to 'rescue' a patient following the failure of a prior treatment; for example, a salvage prostatectomy would be the surgical removal of the prostate after the failure of prior radiation therapy or cryosurgery.
If you've got cramp in your legs, are having problems gripping things with your hand or are suffering from repeated headaches you'll happily pop along and see the doctor. But, if you're having problems with your waterworks you'll put up with it in the hope that it'll go away by itself or simply put it down to the inevitable consequence of getting older.
In many cases prostatic cancer is slow to develop and in its early stages is confined to the prostate gland and can be treated relatively easily. Left to its own devices however it will eventually spread and can move out of the prostate gland and literally travel throughout the body. At that stage treatment is extremely difficult and the vast majority of deaths occur in men with advanced prostatic cancer which has spread outside of the prostate gland.
Once you pass the ago of 50 you are risk from a variety of prostatic problems, including prostatic cancer, and, to put it bluntly, you're a fool if you start to experience problems with your waterworks and simply choose to ignore them.
If problems start to appear then call in and see your doctor.
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