The prostate gland is located directly beneath the bladder and in front of the rectum. Many men, especially those later in life have made the decision with their doctors to simply watch and wait. Detected in its early stages, prostate cancer can be effectively treated and cured.

About 80 percent of men who reach the age of 80 have prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the U.S. Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of death from cancer in men of all ages and is the most common cause of death from cancer in men over 75 years old.

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease are bone pain or tenderness, and abdominal pain. Other symptoms might include unintentional weight loss and lethargy. Some men will experience symptoms that might indicate the presence of prostate cancer.

One of the most common symptoms is the inability to urinate at all. If cancer is caught at its earliest stages, most men will not experience any symptoms. There are a number of symptoms to be aware of.

A chest x-ray may be done to see if there’s a spread of cancer. A prostate biopsy usually confirms the diagnosis. What is called a free PSA may help tell the difference between BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy), an enlargement of the prostate gland, and prostate cancer.

A number of tests may be done to confirm a diagnosis of prostate cancer. Another test usually used when prostate cancer symptoms are present is the digital rectal exam (DRE) performed by the doctor. The decision about whether to pursue a PSA test should be based on a discussion between you and your doctor.

Hormone manipulation is mainly used as a treatment to relieve symptoms in men whose cancer has spread. Surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy and chemotherapy all have significant side effects; know fully what they are before you proceed. Medications can have many side effects, including hot flashes and loss of sexual desire.

The conventional treatment of prostate cancer is often controversial. An oncology specialist will usually recommend treating with a single drug or a combination of drugs. If chemotherapy is decided upon after the first round of chemotherapy, most men receive further doses on an outpatient basis at a clinic or physician’s office.

Medicines can be used to adjust the levels of testosterone; called hormonal manipulation. Other medications used for hormonal therapy, with side effects, include androgen-blocking agents, which prevent testosterone from attaching to prostate cells. Thoroughly discuss your treatment options and concerns with your doctor and other health professionals; it never hurts to get a second or even third opinion or more if necessary.

The approaches to treatment include: ever watchful waiting to see whether the cancer is growing slowly and not causing any symptoms. Some men choose to do nothing but change their diet to a more natural diet of living foods. Surgery, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy can interfere with libido on a temporary or permanent basis. Radiation therapy is used primarily to treat prostate cancers classified as stages A, B, or C.

Many men simply want the best treatment they can get but what’s important is choosing the best treatment for you. Side effects of chemotherapy drugs depend on which ones you’re taking and how often and how long they’re taken.

As new research comes out adjust your treatment options accordingly. While the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer remains high, survival rates are also improving. The outcome of prostate cancer varies greatly; mostly because the disease is found in older men who may have a variety of other complicating diseases or conditions, such as cardiac or respiratory disease, or disabilities that immobilize or greatly decrease their activities.

Helen Hecker
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/prostate-cancer-natural-and-alternative-treatments-127219.html

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the U.S. Men younger than 40 are rarely ever diagnosed with prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is deadly but can be cured if it’s caught early enough. In most men, prostate cancer grows very slowly: most men will never know they have it.

The prostate is a small, walnut-sized structure that makes up part of a man’s reproductive system; it wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body. The prostate gland is located directly beneath the bladder and in front of the rectum.

There may be other symptoms not mentioned here. Other symptoms might include unintentional weight loss and lethargy. There are several symptoms to be aware of.

Weak or interrupted flow of urine and painful or burning urination can be symptoms to watch out for. If cancer is caught at its earliest stages, most men will not experience any symptoms. One of the most common symptoms is the inability to urinate at all.
A chest x-ray may be done to see if there’s a spread of cancer. One downside to PSA testing is that health care providers are detecting and treating some very early-stage prostate cancers that may never have caused the patient any harm. Another test usually used when prostate cancer symptoms are present is the digital rectal exam (DRE) performed by the doctor.

A PSA test with a high level can also be from a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test measures the PSA enzyme in your blood for abnormalities. A urinalysis may indicate if there is blood in the urine.

The approaches to treatment include: ever watchful waiting to see whether the cancer is growing slowly and not causing any symptoms. In the early stages, surgery and radiation may be used to remove or attempt to kill the cancer cells or shrink the tumor. Hormone manipulation is mainly used as a treatment to relieve symptoms in men whose cancer has spread.

Treatment options can vary based on the stage of the tumor. What you can do now is begin to understand what exactly your treatment options are and where you’re going to begin. Chemotherapy medications are often used to treat prostate cancers that are resistant to hormonal treatments.

Surgery, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy can interfere with libido on a temporary or permanent basis. Be aware that some men chose natural treatment options and forgo any surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Medicines can be used to adjust the levels of testosterone; called hormonal manipulation.

Prostate cancer that has spread (metastasized) may be treated conventionally with drugs to reduce testosterone levels, surgery to remove the testes, chemotherapy or nothing at all. Many men simply want the best treatment they can get but what’s important is picking the best treatment for you. In patients whose health makes the risk of surgery unacceptably high, radiation therapy is often the chosen conventional alternative.

Radiation therapy is used primarily to treat prostate cancers classified as stages A, B, or C. If chemotherapy is decided upon, after the first round of chemotherapy, most men receive further doses on an outpatient basis at a clinic or physician’s office. Being treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy is something to think through carefully and know that you have the option to refuse them.

If you’ve already been diagnosed with prostate cancer, pick the option that’s best suited to you and your continuing good health. As new research comes out you can adjust your treatment options accordingly. Just about all men with prostate cancer survive at least five years after their diagnosis, 93% survive at least 10 years, and 67% survive more than 15 years.

Helen Hecker
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/what-you-should-know-about-prostate-cancer-125679.html

Doctors recommend going for check-ups from time to time after the age of 50, in order to detect early any possible presence of cancer. Colorectal presence gives symptoms after a few years since installation occurred, that is why screenings should be done regularly.

Sometimes patients suffering of colorectal cancer complain about being constipated. Constipation can occur due to the tumor which grows inside the colon and blocks partially or totally the flow of solid waste. So, defecating less often as before can be a sign that something is wrong inside the colon.

Sometimes people observe that their stool is much thinner than before. This can also be a sign that inside the colon or rectum is a tumor which began to grow. If the tumor grows it will partially obstruct the way the stool follows and so, the stool will have to remodelate in order to step over the tumor’s barrier. Also, abdominal cramping and bloating can occur.

If the tumor bleeds, in the stool will appear red marks, this if the tumor is situated in the rectum.

If the tumor is situated at the end of the colon or in the rectum it might give you the feeling that you still have to go to the bathroom even if you just went. This is due to the fact that the tumor is attached to the “exit zone” and the body thinks there is some poop left to come out.

Because the tumor blocks the way out and prevents air from elimination, patients can get gassy quite often.

Sometimes colon cancer patients have nausea and even vomit but and this is another condition the tumor gives. Also, tiredness is present no matter how much you get to sleep possible because of anemia (the red blood calls can not carry sufficient oxygen to the body’s cells). Anemia can be given by the tumors situated in the right side of the colon because they can bleed for a long period of time without being detected.

In most of the intestinal cancers, loosing weight is present. The loss of weight is made in a short period of time and even though for some people it might be considered a blessing, this is not a good thing, because it means that the tumor blocks the bowel somewhere inside the intestines.

These symptoms can be found in other diseases too but if you see them do contact a doctor for a check up especially if you are over 50 and your family history contains cases of colorectal cancer.

For greater resources on colon cancer or especially about colon cancer symptoms please visit this link http://www.colon-cancer-center.com/colon-cancer-symptoms.htm

Groshan Fabiola
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/symptoms-of-colorectal-cancer-110344.html

In the event that you are unfamiliar with what prostate cancer is, it is the abnormal growth of all of the cells within the prostate gland, the prostate gland is considered to be a major part of the male reproductive system. The prostate cancer symptoms may or may not occur within men that are suffering from this condition. Since prostate cancer is a type of cancer that develops slowly, there are some men that have the disease that may not even realize it.

Within the early stages of prostate cancer, the prostate cancer symptoms aren’t evident. Relatively speaking, the screening process for prostate cancer is simple to perform, with a PSA test and a prostate examination annually. The majority of patients that have prostate cancer are going to be identified and with a high chance of finding a cure relatively. Overall, screening for all of these diseases is just a fact of modern day medicine.

In relationship to prostate cancer, this issue is rather complex, because the overall benefit to all of the patients is very far from being completely clear. A screening is performed before you ever have any of the symptoms of cancer, just to test to see if the cancer is present. When a screening test is performed, it can normally find cancer in its early stages.

All of the prostate cancer symptoms are the essential key to determining whether or not an individual is at risk for developing prostate cancer. With all of the early self-diagnosis, one will be able to create a detour completely away from prostate cancer’s deadly route. Prostate cancer symptoms within their early stages can reflect characteristics such as urinary incontinence and difficulties.

Often, there are men that experience frequent urination, even though the amount of urine that is passed is quiet small. Often, the urinary incontinence follows menopause or childbirth. Prostatic or urine fluid cytology could reveal some cells that look rather unusual. You should also take into consideration that all of the experts report that the PSA tests aren’t reliable any that they are searching for all of the better ways that they can diagnose prostate cancer.

Prostatic or urine fluid cytology could reveal some rather unusual cells. One of the other tests that are normally performed when all of the prostate cancer symptoms are present is the DRE or digital rectal exam which is performed by the oncologist, proctologist, and doctor. All of the blood within the urine is normally a symptom of something other than the prostate cancer.

However, within individuals that do have the prostate cancer, a presence of blood within the urine could be an indicator that the condition has advanced or either it has spread from the prostate and on into the urethra or bladder. Normally, the blood tests will confirm this diagnosis.

Marlon Dirk
http://www.articlesbase.com/cancer-articles/prostate-cancer-symptoms-that-you-should-be-aware-of-720780.html

In today’s world, is it that occurrences of breast cancer are growing much more than it was years ago, or it is just that breast cancer is getting more visibility in the press and medical journals? It appears that the answer is a little bit of both. The population is increasing and therefore the actual number of cases is more, although the actual percentage of people diagnosed with breast cancer is not significantly different (although it is higher) than in years past.

One of the things that many people fail to understand is that anyone can get breast cancer. Although it is thought to be tied somewhat to being hereditary, that does not mean that you will not get breast cancer if there is no occurrence of it in your family history.

Another thing that is equally puzzling is why more people, particularly women where breast cancer is most likely to happen, do not get regular checkups from their doctor to check for it. I know of multiple people who were diagnosed with breast cancer, and when asked when the last time they had a mammogram done to check for the presence of breast cancer, they indicated it had been a number of years. This is truly unfortunate because like most things, if breast cancer is caught as early as possible, the chances of beating it become incredibly greater.

You should be aware of the symptoms of breast cancer, sometimes also known as inflammatory breast caner so that you can see your doctor as soon as possible if these symptoms exist. These symptoms include:

* A breast that appears bruised, or is pink or purple.

* If your breast is feeling tender or firm and enlarged.

* A consistent warm feeling in the breast.

* Pain or itching in the breast that is constant.

* A ridged or dimpled skin texture, kind of like an orange peel.

* Flattened, retracted, swollen or crusted skin around the nipple.

* Lumps or enlarged lymph nodes under the arm or around the collarbone.

This is not an exhaustive list of symptoms but if you are experiencing any of these symptoms or signs, you should see your doctor as soon as possible to get checked out. Most health insurance companies will pay for this examination, because they realize that it is going to cost them much more if the cancer is allowed to grow instead of being diagnosed, caught, and remedied early on in its development stages.

Many of these same symptoms can also indicate the presence of a breast infection called mastitis. This type of infection most frequently (although not exclusively) occurs in younger women, usually under age 35, who are breast feeding young children. This is not breast cancer but is a simple infection that is most easily treated with prescription antibiotics. It is frequently accompanied by fever. The difference here is that breast cancer does not cause a fever, nor does it respond to antibiotics.

The bottom line is that you need to be aware of the classic symptoms of breast cancer, since the earlier it is diagnosed and treated, especially with the advances in today’s medicines, the better your chances of beating it.

Jon Arnold
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/be-aware-of-the-symptoms-of-breast-cancer-132773.html