Prostate Cancer Care

Posts Tagged ‘care’

Individual health coverage offers benefits for medical care. Prescription assistance programs can be included in some programs. Some policies may possibly provide for payment of health expenses incurred on a reimbursement basis by paying benefits to the plan owner, payment on a service basis by paying those who supply the services directly, or payment of an indemnity by paying a prearranged amount regardless of the sum charged for health visits.

Health expense or hospitalization insurance could be written on an individual or group basis. Many of these plans will provide prescription help.

Though there are lots of types of benefits to be had, individual medical expense insurance might generally be categorized as basic health expense coverage, major medical coverage, comprehensive medical insurance, and special plans.

These policies ought to cover prescriptions because prescription drugs help so many patients. Most of these plans have for the most part been replaced by managed care options and are no longer sold as stand-alone policies. These types of programs have been modified and replaced in answer to changes in the health care field relative to cost control and market competition.

Basic coverage provided by an individual health expense plan includes hospital expense, surgical expense and medical expense. These three basics can be sold as one or individually. Often this is issued as "first dollar" coverage, which means it does not contain a deductible.

As the name indicates, hospital expense healthcare insurance offers benefits for visits incurred during hospitalization. Hospital indemnities are frequently classified into 2 general categories:

• Room and board, including nursing care and special diets

• Miscellaneous medical expenses, including x-rays, laboratory fees, prescription medication, medical supplies, and operating and treatment rooms

In some cases, surgical benefits may well be integrated for selected types of surgery and related expenses. Hospital expense healthcare insurance provides benefits for daily hospital room and board and various hospital bills whilst the insured individual is confined to the hospital.

The plan possibly will provide for a particular dollar amount for the daily hospital room and board benefit, although the trend is toward medical insurance of not more than the semiprivate room charge unless a private room is medically required. The room and board benefit may possibly be paid on either an indemnity basis or a reimbursement basis, depending on the particular plan.

Indemnity policies are occasionally called dollar amount policies. Room and board rates differ by geographic location, however it is not uncommon to notice room and board rates ranging from $400 to $900 per day or more.

Normally, the maximum number of days is from 3 to 400 . More commonly, room and board expenses are paid on a reimbursement basis. also called an expenses incurred basis Under this policy, the insurance will pay in one of two ways.

The actual bills for a semiprivate room are covered.

A percentage of the actual cost is paid, with no definite dollar limit.

Under the first reimbursement option, the medical insurance carrier will pay the full actual semiprivate room rate, regardless of what it is. Under the second reimbursement option, the health insurance company pays a specified percentage, regardless of what the actual charges are. A common percentage is 80%.

To recap, under the actual charges style of reimbursement policy, the health insurance will pay the actual amount billed for a semiprivate room with no regard to a specific dollar limit. Under the percentage style of reimbursement insurance, the policy might pay a specified percentage of the actual charges.

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Pharmacuetical drugs for prostate cancer are often extracted from natural sources and made synthetic. Why not go back to the original source?

 > More on Natural Cancer Treatment  Click Here 

Big corporations have become very powerful. They have developed influence in the political arena as part of their power structures.

Therefore, you have an industry that manufactures drugs. Maybe, as rumour has it, they have wrapped their arms around a certain government regulatory agency. Who knows? With this power, they can spend money on research and get ‘approved’ by this regulatory agency. Then they can market their prescription medications for outrageous prices.

Yet, the natural remedies that currently exist, such as acid reflux natural remedies, and natural treatments for prostate cancer, have no such champion with big purse strings. In fact, many of the big prescription drug medications are nothing more than concentrated, synthetic and slightly different copies of compounds that naturally exist in nature.

So, therefore, regular remedies, like heartburn remedy, and natural prostate cancer remedies, that grow in the forest, desert or perhaps even in one’s backyard can’t get the stamp of approval from this unnamed government agency, as a substance that is proven to have a positive effect on health.

>>Alternative natural non toxic remedy for prostate cancer. Learn more 

It’s rather funny when you think about it. But then, nature was there before any government and nature will be there after. Interesting isn’t it? Nature doesn’t seem to require government approval.

But we spoke of a balance a few moments ago. The power definitely seems to rest on one side of the equation. But what is happening on the other side? Alternative healers, old books, and folk wisdom passed down through the ages are still out there and from them, many people learn to apply natural healing methods (that don’t have that big stamp of approval from an authoritarian agency) to solve their health problems. Because the costs of getting ‘official’ treatment and officially approved prescription meds now make the cost of getting said treatment beyond the reach of many.

In other cases, some people just know about simple things that work and they seem to work better, cost less and cause less trauma to the human body when implemented than the results derived from going through ‘official’ channels. If you are a person who doesn’t have unlimited wealth, what way are you likely to go?

Next, learn more about: herbal remedies herpes and others as well!

Embrace and preserve the natural healing choices that have alway been with us.

  > Natural Cancer Treatment Click Here

Author Dave S. copyright 2009 and beyond. All Rights Reserved World Wide.
Disclaimer: This article is for information and entertainment purposes only. It does not intend to render advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have or think you might have any health problem whatsoever, visit your physician for advice, diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated statements about products in this article.

Technorati Tags: alternative, best, cancer, care, diet, natural, prostate, prostrate, remedies, remedy, treatment

New programs to help with prostate cancer prescription costs

In order to assist those without insurance and financially-struggling citizens get the prescription medicine assistance that they desperately require, patient assistance companies are creating community knowledge that there are programs that give prescription medication for free or practically free.

Today’s high unemployment rates make these programs still further essential to individuals. There are companies that provide assistance in helping patients navigate these programs.

Tens of thousands of patients have been able to be given their prescription medication because of these programs. This is particularly good news, for at this point there are more patients out of work than ever before over the preceding 27 years. Usually you will be required to fill out paperwork and give certification as to your lack of healthcare insurance and employment. Prescription drug help is available for persons that are in neediness and can meet the requirements.

Patient aid programs

Individuals who become certified for help for prescriptions from the participating patient aid programs have access to more than 1,400 brand-name and generic prescription medication. These are not bargain basement priced generic versions. These are the identical brand name medicines that you have always been taking. The majority of these companies have a website where you can submit an application for help. It simply takes about 5 to 20 minutes to find out if the individual or someone you know may become certified for free or low-priced medications.

These assistance programs have developed into awfully valuable help to tens of thousands of Americans. Thousands of individuals have become unemployed over the preceding several months and there may well be a intense upsurge in the number of our populace losing health care benefits in the future.Thousands of patients are in want of prescription medication help plus persons who require prescription drugs to combat such chronic diseases as arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and asthma. Most citizens who require aid need it for more than one drugs. This can create to a certain extent a mystifying procedure because of all of the paperwork that have got to be done, doctor’s authorization obtained and confirmation of income submitted.

Patient assistance companies

These organisations relieve the person of all of that hassle by acting as the individual’s advocate and performing all of the responsibilities. These companies charge a minor fee for their assistance nevertheless it is extremely worth it. At the same time as our nation works at pulling through these arduous fiscal times, it is good to realize that there is help offered.

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Prostate cancer is an important health problem and its treatment is better at an early stage

One common treatment for prostate cancer is watchful waiting and here we examine just what this is and when it might be used.

    >>  Beat prostate cancer. Click here 

If, like a growing number of men, you have been having regular prostate screening which has picked up the possibility of prostate cancer, and this has subsequently been confirmed with a biopsy, then you are probably lucky enough to have caught the cancer early when it is still confined to the prostate gland and in what is called Stage I or Stage II. If this is the case then one possible course of treatment might be ‘watchful waiting’.

Some people feel that it is slightly odd to call watchful waiting a form of treatment because, as the name suggests, you simply watch the cancer and wait to see what happens. Other names for this approach are ‘observation’ and ’surveillance’. So when would this approach be appropriate?

As long as your cancer is confined to the prostate gland you are generally fairly safe and it is not until it threatens to spread beyond the prostate that your doctor will become concerned. So, if like many prostate cancer cases your cancer is both confined to the prostate gland and growing very slowly there is no need for immediate action and it is often safe to simply take some time and see how it develops.

Now if you are getting on in years and in this situation watchful waiting may well be a very good option because if the cancer is growing slowly enough there is a very good chance that you will die from old age, or some other condition, before it gets to be a problem. In these circumstances you might well feel that it would be silly to put yourself through surgery or radiation therapy for little if any real gain. So, in this case you would simply visit your physician at regular intervals for him to keep an eye on things and do nothing at all unless a problem arises.

If however you are still a reasonably young and otherwise fit man then watchful waiting might again be a sensible approach for a while but it may not always be such a good idea in the longer term, not least because, even though your cancer may be growing very slowly, you are still reducing your control of the disease the larger your cancer becomes and this may cause a problem if and when you are forced to deal with it.

Dealing with prostate cancer, whether by surgery or radiation treatment, is best done when the cancer is small and when you are in the best position to cope with treatment and recovery. The older you get the more likely it is that complications will arise from your treatment or that you will have difficulty in recovering following treatment.

Another very important consideration is the way in which you cope with watchful waiting mentally. For some men simply sitting back and doing nothing knowing that they have a cancer growing in their prostate gland can be very stressful indeed. However, for other men the fact that they have cancer doesn’t bother them at all as long as they know that it is slow growing, confined and being monitored regularly.

At the end of the day you must clearly be guided by your physician, but whether you choose to live with your prostate cancer or to seek treatment for it is, and always should be, very much a personal decision.

Find more about the wide range of prostate problems including everything from the digital rectal exam to advanced prostate cancer treatment.

By Donald Saunders

Technorati Tags: care, dealing with, exam, examination, exams, gland, health, mens, prostate, screening, self, test, testing, tests, treating

Cancer prevention methods are many and green tea stands out as a viable natural alternative

The mysteries of cancer have eluded us for years. However, we are beginning to learn many pieces of valuable information about  how to prevent many different kinds of cancer .

And, of course, once we learn more about how to prevent the disease, we can better understand how to treat it, as well. Research is ongoing, and scientists are learning much about this disease, though there still is much to learn.

One form of cancer that plagues many men is prostate cancer. Prostrate cancer is the most common type of cancer found in American men, other than skin cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 234,460 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States in 2006. About 27,350 men will die of this disease.

Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in men, after lung cancer and colorectal cancer. While 1 man in 6 will get prostate cancer during his lifetime, only 1 man in 34 will die of this disease. Earlier detection and better treatments are making the death rate for this disease go down.

Yet, there is still much work to do to learn the causes of prostate cancer and to develop more reliable treatments. If we can further our research and learn the causes of more types of cancer, including prostate cancer, then we will be well on our way to preventing more incidences of this disease.

There have been some promising findings, and it appears that one thing that we can do to  prevent prostate cancer  is to include green tea in our diet. We’ve learned through research that green tea has the ability to prevent many forms of cancer, prostate cancer among them. Studies of Asian culture, where green tea consumption is high and cancer incidences are much lower have led to the understanding of how green tea can help in this area.

One study of particular interest was reported by the UK Tea Council. This study showed that green tea consumption appears to have the ability to act as a sort of scavenger against a substance called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).* ROS are a form of free radicals that cause cell damage.

This particular form of free radical appears to be one that especially contributes to the development of prostate cancer, when it is produced in excess. But, the anti-oxidants contained in green tea have the particular abilities to get at these free radicals and eradicate them, preventing them from developing into cancer cells.

So, it appears that prostate cancer is just one of the many that green tea may have the power to prevent. And, the power appears to be in the anti-oxidants that are found in green tea. Anti- oxidants are important because they combat free radicals, like ROS, in our bodies. These free radicals are created as a by product of converting the food we eat to energy.

When free radicals are not kept in check, they damage our cells and DNA. This leads to faster aging and a higher risk of many diseases, including cancer.

For this reason, a diet high in anti-oxidants is now believed to be one of the best ways to prevent disease and premature aging. And, green tea, along with certain fruits and vegetables provide some of the most potent sources of these important substances. If you’re not already doing so, add pomegranates, blueberries, artichokes, tomatoes and asparagus to your diet. These fruits and vegetables have been found to have the most potent anti-oxidants. And, wash it all down with green tea.

One great reason that green tea is such a good way to prevent disease and protect health is that it has no side effects, so everyone can use it. Even those who are sensitive to caffeine can usually tolerate green tea quite well. Green tea is far lower in caffeine than coffee or black tea. In addition, the caffeine in green tea doesn’t appear to cause a fast heart rate and jitters the way that many other caffeine containing beverages do.

The news about prostate cancer and green tea is important to deliver, particularly to American men. On average, the American man is far more likely to drink coffee than tea. And, when American men do drink tea, they are much more likely to drink black tea. So, we should spread the word to all the men in our lives that green tea is a powerful health protector.

So, make green tea part of your healthy lifestyle, particularly if you happen to be a man. Green tea is refreshing and delicious. And, green tea may be a simple and important way to prevent disease and ensure that we live long and healthy lives. So, whether your pleasure is hot or iced, have your cup of green tea today and every day!

By Jon Stout, Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, black tea and wholesale tea go to www.goldenmoontea.com

The Truth about Antioxidants and Cancer 

Free radicals live by feeding off vital nutrients in your cells. This leads to cell damage. It is a process going in a vicious circle. When it continues for too long, the free radical damage can lead to cancer. Antioxidants work to flush free … A high-quality supplement, a diet that incorporates antioxidant-rich foods, and a healthy lifestyle is your perfect defense against cancer.

The Truth about Antioxidants and Cancer

They work in your body by protecting the molecular cells from undergoing any damage from free radicals. Different types of cancer are said to be caused by free radical damage. The vitamins found in antioxidants are extensive and include, … of the free radicals in our bodies. Not only will a supplement help you, but it will also give you the fighting power of vital nutrients and their benefits.

The Health Care Blog: How to Rein in Medical Costs, RIGHT NOW

Most non-indicated PSA screening for prostate cancer should be stopped. Radical surgery as the usual treatment for most prostate cancers should cease since it causes more harm than good. Billions saved here. ….. The delivery of ill health care has a small effect on overall health of the population.

Technorati Tags: alternative, best, care, cures, diet, green tea, home, natural, options, prostate cancer, prostrate, treatment, treatments

According to a recent survey conducted by the Prostate Cancer Charity organisation, men with prostate cancer are not receiving the same level of care as for other cancers and as the level of care for women although it is not fully understood why.

 One of the possible reasons is thought to be a lack of clear guidelines by NICE although the process of establishing these is underway. Other variables affecting level of care, concern the attitudes of health practitioners, men’s expectations and societal perceptions and valuing of the older male population.

Some men are receiving the kind of care they value but there is also room for standards to improve. A large number of men with prostate cancer, about 25% of the study, felt that they weren’t provided with enough information and have needs that are unacknowledged which creates a certain amount of uncertainty and leaves them feeling rather dissatisfied and uninformed as to the best course of treatment. It seems mostly what was wanted was for someone to take the time to listen and show that they care.

Recommended steps to address these issues included providing good quality information at the appropriate time, improving the communication skills of health practitioners, spending more time on listening with empathy and improving team work skills amongst the various professionals concerned.

It was argued that improving men’s expectations and the ability to be assertive about what they want as regards the kind of treatment and kind of care they can expect as an older man is a move in the right direction

Reasons Cancer Patients Don’t Talk About Pain

It may sound counterintuitive, but cancer patients sometimes don’t tell doctors about their pain. Eugenie Obbens, MD, acting chief of the Pain and Palliative Care Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, says

Stupidity about health targets and cancer

Not testing for prostate cancer because you have no trouble urinating and no other reason to suspect trouble is one thing, but superbugs and bad hospital standards are no reason to bury your head in the sand. Once you have a diagnosis, you can make your choice, of course. … Fear of poor NHS care really is no reason to let cancer take its course, because it only ever takes one course: it spreads throughout your body, leaving you in immense pain, and then kills

Are You Afraid to Go to the Doctor Because You’re Fat?

This isn’t just a matter of political correctness: Stereotypes and discrimination stand in the way of getting the medical care you need. Providers who aren’t sensitive aren’t putting your needs first.

UK Health News 

“Screening all older men for prostate cancer ‘could reduce deaths by a fifth’,” said the Mail. “Prostate cancer hope” said the Mirror. “Calls for new policies on NHS cancer tests” said the Independent. “Prostate cancer screening could cut ….

Some cancer care centers, popular searches on google

seattle cancer care alliance

cancer care ontario

cancer care centers of south texas

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A major study of patient satisfaction and regret following open prostatectomy and robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy provides some important lessons for surgeons …

… and opens up the debate about  alternative prostate cancer care

The research, recently published in the European Journal of Urology, shows 19 per cent of patients regretted their treatment choice and patients who had robot-assisted surgery were most likely to be dissatisfied.

The authors suggest the regret is “possibly because of higher expectation of an ‘innovative procedure’”.

Their conclusion is one for all urological surgeons to note.

“We suggest that urologists carefully portray the risks and benefits of new technologies during preoperative counselling to minimise regret and maximise satisfaction.”

In recent years, the treatment of prostate cancer has been a rapidly developing field, providing patients with a  wide range of different cancer care choices .

Brachytherapy and HIFU offer non-surgical options and for those who want surgery, there are open, laparoscopic and nerve-sparring options, depending upon your diagnosis and treatment provider.

At the same time, patients are becoming increasingly proactive, using the internet to research and consider the different  prostate cancer treatment options themselves, as well as the traditional consultation with the urologist.

Increased choice is without doubt a positive benefit for patients, but as urology centres – both private and NHS – seek to attract patients, we have a responsibility to carefully counsel them about the advantages and disadvantages of treatments.
There is a distinctive risk when a procedure is perceived to be new and especially “innovative”. The media will always be interested in the next “pioneering operation”, particularly one which involves robots.

A newspaper article will tend to portray the new procedure as an immaculate solution, which corrects all the risk and disadvantages of other procedures.
As surgeons, we have a responsibility to provide patients with a more sober and informative picture, acknowledging limitations as well as benefits.

The patient satisfaction study was based on the responses of 400 men who had undergone retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP) or robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy between 2000 and 2007 in the US.

The report’s authors also examined patients urinary domain scores, hormonal domain scores and found scores were independently linked with regret.

It is still early days for robotic surgery in the UK. In prostate cancer surgery, there are currently six Da Vinci robotic machines in the UK, compared with 350 in America.

There is no current evidence that robotic surgery provides better outcomes for patients, in terms of urinary symptoms, post operative sexual function or post-operative risks and complications. It seems certain that robotic surgery will increase within the UK during the next decade, with NHS and private centres purchasing the Da Vinci machines.

This will provide even more choice for patients, which is in principle, a positive development.

It is however vital that patients are given accurate and comprehensive information to enable them to make an informed choice, rather than simply being over-sold on a new product.

By: Alan Doherty

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Alan Doherty is a Consultant Urologist and Medical Director of The Birmingham Prostate Clinic. A centre of excellence for Prostate Cancer Treatment.

Here are some related posts about prostate cancer treatment options

Prostate Cancer – Causes And Treatment

The treatment options for organ-confined prostate cancer or locally advanced prostate cancer usually include surgery, radiation therapy , hormonal therapy, cryotherapy, combinations of some of these treatments, and watchful waiting. 

Chemotherapy  Treating Prostate Cancer

It is really up to the patient and his doctors to decide whether on balance the advantages outweigh the risks. D.Valerian is a freelance writer interested in items such as prostate cancer treatment 

Preventing Prostate Cancer

In addition, this report discusses the strides made in prostate cancer prevention, and why this cancer in particular should be a target for prevention, rather than treatment. 

Prostate Cancer Treatment Options

Radical prostatectomy is one of the most invasive prostate cancer treatment options. This procedure will remove the prostate and the affected lymph nodes. This is to prevent the spread of cancer cells from reaching other parts 

Prostrate Cancer Awareness Campaign

Many people are now agreed on the need for a broader prostate cancer awareness campaign and images that create more consciousness in the fight against the disease and the against the ignorance about the disease.

New Prostate Cancer Treatment Options Prostate Cancer Support

The most common therapies for prostate cancer are surgical removal of the entire prostate gland, radiation treatment, and hormonal therapy.

Technorati Tags: cancer, care, choices, cure, davinci, diagnosis, non-surgical, options, prostate, prostatectomy, robotic, surgery, treatment, urologist, urology

For many people suffering from advanced prostate cancer chemotherapy can be worse than the condition itself. Now however studies have shown that it might be possible to enjoy a brief chemotherapy holiday.

Once prostate cancer has moved out of the prostate and spread into other parts of the body it is classed as advanced prostate cancer and treatment is much more difficult than when the disease is confined to the prostate gland.

Where your cancer has not spread too far and is not particularly aggressive it is possible not merely to treat the condition but in fact to cure it.

However, in many cases where the disease is widespread, or is especially aggressive, treatment is a matter of simply holding back the progress of the disease and providing you with the best possible quality of life. Nowadays one of the chief  amongst various treatments for advanced prostate cancer is chemotherapy frequently using a drug called docetaxal. Docetaxal is a particularly effective drug for a lot of patients and it does indeed slow the progress of prostate cancer and extend life for a significant number of patients. But, it is not without its side effects that include things like nausea, loss of appetite, hair loss and an increased risk of infection. As a result it is here that we come across one of the biggest difficulties in advanced prostate cancer treatment.

When you are treating a condition that cannot be cured and that will kill you sooner or later, then extending your life by holding back the progress of the cancer is fine provided that treatment gives you a reasonable quality of life and does not end up being worse than the cancer itself. For a lot of prostate cancer patients, who are often in their 60s, 70s or even 80s, chemotherapy is not exactly pleasant but it is a price that is worth paying when they first start their course of treatment. However, as the treatment progresses and the side effects start to come into play the picture frequently alters and a lot of patients begin to ask whether it is worth it. Naturally this is never an easy question to answer and must be the subject of a discussion between yourself, your family and your physician.

A lot of us are familiar with this picture either through our own experience with illness or as a result of our experience of seeing family members of close friends in this situation and will know well just how hard a time it can be. Now, however, there may be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel as studies involving a sizeable group of patients with metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer show that a lot of patients may be able to take a ‘chemo holiday’ without any significant damage to their treatment.

Put another way, after a number of weeks of chemo, and when the side effects are really staring to pull you down, you may be able to simply stop your chemotherapy for a while and let your body recover a little before carrying on with your treatment. And this would be a good point to  boost your immune system with good dietary supplements.

It is of course early days yet and no-one is exactly certain yet precisely how long a ‘chemo holidays’ could be or how frequently you can take them, but for many advanced prostate cancer patients this apparently minor advance in treatment may well make all the difference in the world.

Mesothelioma Chemotherapy Side Effects – Your Digest System

Feelings of sickness are a side effect linked with some chemotherapy. There are now some treatments available to alleviate this sickness. 

Coping with Chemo – The Diagnosis  Chemotherapy Guide

Coping with Chemo is a series of online animated vignettes that chronicle the stories of two teens with cancer and their struggle to cope with their disease and treatment.  Hair Replacement – A Cancer Survivor APML LEUKEMIA Treatment Continues  Chemotherapy Mesothelioma Treatment Side Effects – Hair Loss  Hair Loss Restoration Breast Cancer Awareness Month  Lifemel Honey For Cancer and Chemotherapy Side Effects

Everyones Guide To Cancer Survivorship

Lifestyle changes to improve health and longevity. · What survivors need to know following anticancer therapy. · How to manage the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. How to set goals for the future

Cancer and Chemotherapy

While chemotherapy works to treat cancer, normal cells — like hair cells, which also divide rapidly — can be affected, too. This can cause problems, which are known as side effects. Side effects are usually temporary and are different

Coping With The Side Effects of Chemotherapy

One of the most common side effects of chemotherapy is nausea. Doctors can prescribe drugs to help patients cope with this. These drugs will either be anti-nausea, meaning that they help to combat the feeling of queasiness.

Article By Donald Saunders
ProstateProblemCenter.com provides information on a wide variety of prostate problems including such things as the therapeutic use of prostate milking.

Technorati Tags: cancer, care, chemotherapy, dose, facts, high, options, prostate, rate, survival, treatment

Despite the fact that many men begin to experience enlarged prostate symptoms as early as their mid-forties, the vast majority of prostate cancers are not diagnosed until after the age of seventy.

It’s a sad fact that most men are into their seventies before prostate cancer is diagnosed, by which time the disease is often well advanced and beyond a cure. This is particularly sad because many men begin to experience enlarged prostate symptoms in their forties and fifties and simply choose to ignore them.

In many cases of course an enlarged prostate is not a problem and, if it does become a problem, then  prostate problems can be treated without presenting any real threat. In addition, an enlarged prostate is often simply something of an inconvenience which many men feel that they can live with quite happily, so why bother the doctor. The problem of course is that, although not connected, cancer can develop alongside an enlarging prostate and, as a normally very slow growing cancer, it can be easily masked by enlarged prostate symptoms.

One answer, although somewhat controversial, would be to make screening for prostate cancer a routine procedure for men in their forties, or certainly in their fifties.

Prostate screening comes in a variety of different forms but the first line of screening is normally a digital rectal examination, or DRE. This is a simple examination in which the doctor inserts a gloved and lubricated finger into the rectum and feels the prostate gland to gauge its size and to identify any irregularities.

Another less invasive test is the prostate specific antigen, or PSA, test. This is a simple blood test to look for the presence of antigens in the blood which are specific to the prostate. This test will not in itself indicate the presence of cancer but monitoring PSA levels over time will indicate whether or not there is a likelihood of cancer developing and thus whether or not further more specific testing should be undertaken and what  preventative measures can begin to be put in place.

To provide a definitive diagnosis of prostate cancer a doctor may typically order a cytoscopy and transrectal ultrasonography in the first instant. A cytoscopy allows the doctor to view the urinary tract as it passes through the prostate gland, by using a thin camera inserted through the penis. A transrectal ultrasonography is carried out by inserting a probe into the rectum and creating a picture of the prostate gland using sound waves.

As a final test, and really the only test to definitely confirm the presence of cancer, the doctor may order a biopsy. A typical biopsy will be carried out through the rectum with a number of needles being inserted into different parts of the prostate gland to remove small pieces of tissue for microscopic examination.

There is considerably controversy surrounding the whole subject of prostate screening, much of it political (or economic) rather than medical, but prostate cancer is a serious condition which kills millions of men every year and an early and definitive diagnosis could certainly reduce the annual death rate very considerably.

For more information on enlarged prostate symptoms and prostate cancer cures, please visit ProstateCancerExplained.com

By Donald Saunders

here are some further sources of information about prostate cancer care , prevention and treatment

Some Thoughts About Prostate Cancer Treatment Options

This may seem an odd thing to say, but people react very differently to a diagnosis of prostate cancer and just how you feel about will be an important factor in your treatment decision..

Prostate Diagnosis and Treatment Lags, but Research on Lifestyle

More than 27000 men will die from prostate cancer this year, yet remarkably little progress has been made in our knowledge of the biochemistry of the prostate over the past decade.

Advance Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

There are few symptoms of prostate cancer, making it a silent killer. However, there are some warning signs which can lead to the detection and diagnosis of advance prostate cancer. The symptoms are common to an enlarged prostate.

Technorati Tags: cancer, care, centers, early, enlarged, natural, prostate, symptoms, treatments

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Please contact me at  admin@prostatecancercare.net

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