The Prostate is a gland about the size of a golf ball, it resides in the pelvis at the base of the bladder and surrounds the Urethra which is the tube through which you pass urine
There are three main types of Prostate problems these are BPH, Benign Prostatic Hyerplasia. This is common and is most likely to affect men who are over 60. The prostate gland gets slowly bigger causing difficulty or pain when passing urine.The symptoms can get worse very slowly.
PROSTATITIS ABP Acute Bacterial Prostatitis or CBP Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis can affect men of any age. It is an inflammation of the prostate. It causes difficulty and pain when passing urine. It can also cause pain in the Genitals, Pelvis, Back Passage, and on ejaculation. It may cause fever.
PROSTATE CANCER Most men diagnosed will be over sixty. Much younger men can be affected but this is relatively rare.
Cryosurgery is a relatively new treatment for prostate cancer. Although not widely available in the UK it has become increasingly popular in the US and Europe over the last couple of years. It can be used for other Cancers too, such as liver Cancer,skin cancer and precancerous conditions of the Cervix.
Cryosurgery is also referred to as cryotherapy. It is a technique that uses freezing as a form of surgery. Cryosurgery of the prostate involves the freezing of the gland in order to destroy it. This is done by inserting probes into the prostate, which are then reduced to a very low temperature.
Prostate cryosurgery techniques have recently become more refined.
Early cancers can be dealt with by watching, regular checks keep an eye on the cancer and tratment only becomes necessary when syptoms start to show. About every 6 months you will get a PSA test to check the level and rectal exam to ensure there is no change in the condition.
The important thing to remember here is that these symptoms can be caused by a number of problems. The only way to be sure of what you have is to get it checked. The symptoms for PROSTATITIS are Chills Fever Frequent urination Incomplete emptying of bladder Joint pain (arthralgia) Lower back pain Muscle pain (myalgia) Pain in penis, testicles, and area between the scrotum and the rectum (perineum) Painful ejaculation Painful urination (dysuria) Sensation of having to urinate immediately, often accompanied by bladder pain or spasm (urgency) Tender, swollen prostate Complications of acute bacterial prostatitis (ABP) include the following: Collection of pus (abscess) Acute urinary retention Chronic bacterial prostatitis Infection in bloodstream (sepsis) There is a further complication called CBP chronic bacterial prostatitis the symptoms here tend to be less severe than ABP and include Blood in semen (hematospermia) Discomfort in genital area and perineum Dysuria Fever Lower back pain Pain in lower abdomen Painful ejaculation Recurring urinary tract infection (UTI)
The Medical Profession gives Prostate Cancer a grade(G) or Gleason score(GL) The least aggressive type is either G1 or GL 2-4. A Moderately Aggressive cancer is G2 or GL 5-7. The most Aggressive is G3 or GL 8-10
The stages are known as T stages or tumour stages
T1 is early prostate cancer this is where the cancer cells can only be detected under the microscope
T2 is early prostate cancer which can detected on examination.
T3 advanced cancer which may cause problems but has not escaped from the prostate
T4 late prostate cancer which has broken out of the prostate and there is probably secondary cancer
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Your Doctor may give you a rectal examination. They will ask you to lie on your sidewith your knees drawn up he/she will then examine your prostate through the rectum wall with a gloved finger. They will detect if the prostate is hard and may order follow up tests
PSA leaks into your blood after it is made by the prostate. A small sample of blood is taken from your arm to determine how much PSA is in the blood about half of the men with prostate cancer will have PSA levels above 4 micrograms but here is the twist only about 1 in 4 men who have raised PSA levels have prostate cancer.
you will be asked to asume the same position as with the rectum examination. A needle biopsy is taken from you prostate about eight times . These are examined under a microscope Sometimes a local anaesthetic is given to make things more comfortable
A bone scan will show if the cancer has spread into the bones. A very small, harmless amount of radioactiveliquid is injected into the veins. Abnormal bones absorbs this substance which shows the cancer as dark areas. The injection takes place in the morning and the scan in the afternoon.Other scans used in the diagnosis of early and late cancers are CT and MRI