Stages Of Prostate Cancer example essay topic
Cancer is the collection of abnormal cells that have forgotten how to die. Cancer cells unlike normal cells can not die. One way to find out if you have the cancer or if you do not have the cancer is called a prostate exam. The exam is basically a feel of the back wall of the prostate gland. What the doctor is trying to feel for is any hard nodules, lumps or irregularities. You shouldnt have to have a annual exam, but it just depends how experienced your doctor is.
If the doctor finds an irregularity, u shouldnt wait for it to change. When you are a child your prostate is about the size of a pea. The body begins to make large amounts of male hormones during puberty causing the prostate to grow rapidly. About ninety five percent of the hormone is produced by the testicles.
Once your prostate has reached normal size it stops growing until u have reached your sixties or seventy's. This slow increase leads to the condition called benign prosthetic hyperplasia. This is rarely a threat to your health, but it can me extremely uncomfortable. There are many stages of prostate cancer, early stages and late stages. The classic stages are A, B, C and D. The a stage consist of cancer found incidentally or because of elevated PSA.
The b stage of cancer is made up of cancer found because of abnormal digital rectal exam; cancer confined to prostate. The C cancer is cancer spread to tissues outside of the prostate. Finally the D cancer is cancer that has spread to lymph nodes or the bone. It is better to have one degree than the other.
It is always better to have a small volume, low grade tumor than a lager, high-grade cancer says Dr. Sheldon Marks book Prostate and Cancer. There is a unique feature of cancer cells. Cancer cells have the ability to detach their selves from their original site and move to other parts of the body. This is a process that is just recently beginning to be understood. Under normal circumstances prostate cell is confined to the prostate, but when the cell becomes cancerous it is able to leave its birthplace and take up residence in other parts of the body. This ability to shed celled and establish satellite or daughter cancer colonies in other parts of the body is known as the process of metastasis says Dr. Marc B. Gar nicks book The Patients Guide to Prostate Cancer.
As I just discussed cancer cell have the potential to spread throughout the body. When prostate cancer is in early stages it is confined within the prostate. It is in these early stages when prostate cancer is curable. As the cancer grows it heads towards the edge of the prostate.
If it has enough time it can grow through the outer edge of the prostate. This is called the prostate capsule. This is known as extra capsular extension says Dr. Kent Wall ners book Prostate Cancer. Prostate cancer is either curable or incurable. The way you can tell if the cancer is curable is if the cancer is still confined. If the cancer is still confined in the ate it is considered curable.
Prostate cancer that has metastasized to the lymph nodes or to the bones is considered incurable. This means if the cancer has spread outside the prostate and infected these parts it is incurable. There are six major treatments for curing prostate cancer. The first treatment is called cryosurgery. Cryosurgery is the freezing of the prostate gland. The second major treatment is seed implantation.
This is simply placing radioactive seeds in the prostate gland. The third major treatment is hypothermia. Hypothermia is when heat is applied to the prostate gland, and this will shrink the cancer. This will eventually destroy the cancer.
The fourth major treatment is Radical prostatectomy. This is the surgical removel of the cancerous prostate gland. The fifth major treatment is called external beam radiation therapy. This is when the prostate is shot at by beams of focused x-rays. The purpose of this is to shrink the cancer infected cells.
The sixth and last major treatment is the Bilateral orchidectomy. This is the surgical removel of the testes to lower the testosterone level in the body. There are many mistakes made by doctors and patients. One cm men mistake made by patients is failing to learn about the cancer and the best way to heal themselves. This can be very hurt full to the patient. A come mistake made by doctors is intimadidating pro tae cancer victims to undergo immediate treatment before explaining the varios treatments.
This can be very hazerdious to victims. Truly prostate cancer is a very dangerous cancer. This form of cancer has taken many elderly men lives. Wih the highly trained physicians and newly found treatments docters ave tried to lower the amount af fatalities.