Prostate Cancer The prostate is an organ only present in the male body - women do not have one.

It is located deep within the under part of the body and surrounds the neck of t he bladder and the first section of the urethra. It is quite small being about t hree by four centimetres and is most easily got at from the back passage. A couple of things can go wrong with the prostate and it is very probable that o ne of them will have an effect on every man in later life to some degree or anot her. Some of the most common concerns are: prostatitis which is the swelling of the prostate due to bacterial infection the benign enlargement of the prostate which is a common part of the aging proce ss, affecting many men over 50 years of age prostate cancer, which is the fourth most common cancer in men The growth of prostate cancer seems to be positively linked to the existence of the male hormone androgen. Castration has a marked positive impact on the growth of prostate cancer. The prostate is conical in form, but has five definite lobes. Cancer nearly alwa ys develops in the rear-most lobe, whereas benign growths appear to prefer the o ther lobes. All problems with the prostate have the impact of making urination a problem. Th is is why older men tend to go to the toilet frequently. Prostate cancer also de velopes faster than most other forms of cancer. Because of this, older men should have tests for prostate cancer fairly often. N ot merely does prostate cancer grow quickly, but it also spreads quickly. The me dical term for this diffusion is 'metastasis'. If this form of cancer is not caught soon, it will spread rapidly through the di verse internal organs, the lymph nodes and the blood. Death may occur soon after diagnosis, unless it is noticed at a very early point. Self diagnosis is almost impossible because it is a minute internal organ hidden between the penis and the anus. One of the first symptoms is a difficulty with urination, but by then it may already be too late to prevent metastasis. If the cancer progresses to the bladder and urethra, urination will be painful a nd there might be blood in the urine too. If the cancer is advanced, urination m ay become impossible and kidney issues will follow soon. Kidney failure or kidne y disease is a common side-effect of prostate cancer. If the metastasis is well advanced, there could be back pain in the lumbar area or in the hips. Shortage of breath would indicate a further progression of the c ancer to the lungs. A general feeling of weakness might be the next symptom. if caught early enough, prostate cancer can be treated quite successfully. Often a catheter is required, but it could also mean dialysis if the kidneys have bee n severely affected. Part of the prostate can be removed, but it is also possible to remove it comple tely, although not without consequences. Other remedies include hormones and che motherapy. Some individuals believe that prevention can be obtained by homeopathic medicati

ons or a healthy diet, but the jury is out on that one officially. Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a number of subjects, but is now concerned with the <a href="http://signsandsymptomsofovariancancer.org/stages-o f-ovarian-cancer.html">stages of ovarian cancer</a>. If you want to know more go to <a href="http://signsandsymptomsofovariancancer.org">Signs and Symptoms of O varian Cancer</a>