This website is dedicated to all men out there that are or will suffer from prostate disorders/problems in their life. I personally have struggled with prostate problems myself & hopefully some of the information I share from this site will help others.
Showing posts with label Prostate specific antigen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prostate specific antigen. Show all posts
- The latest test used in detecting prostate cancer is the PSA test. It stands for prostate specific antigen and is also known as the seminin or P-30 antigen. PSA is actually a protein the body manufacturers in the prostate. It is used during ejaculation. It actually helps liquefy the semen. The whole process using this protein is what helps the sperm swim. In addition, it can also help dissolve the cervical cap on females. So, technically without the PSA protein, reproduction would not be possible in any form.
The PSA test is used frequently when prostate problems are suspected in males. When the levels of the prostrate specific antigen are elevated, it can mean there is the presence of prostate cancer in the body. Since there is not usually a lot of PSA in a normal male body, the elevation shows problems are present.
There are more reasons than just cancer for the PSA test to show elevated levels of the protein however. If there is an infection in the prostate, and irritation, or an enlargement, the PSA can be high. In addition, if the male had recently ejaculated, the test could be inaccurate. So, when you get the test taken and there are signs of elevation, don’t panic. It could really be something much less serious than prostate cancer.
Many doctors will use the PSA each year for the annual checkup for their male patients. However, a false-positive is likely in many men, so many doctors will simply skip the test unless they have a reason to think it is necessary.
If your doctor does recommend the Prostate Cancer PSA test however, you should go ahead and get it done. It is a simple blood test that is much like getting blood taken. The results come back as quick as any other and you will feel good knowing that you are in the clear.
The five-term senator is scheduled to have surgery during the Senate's August recess, the Hartford Courant reported Friday. Sources told FOX News that Dodd "will be fine."
The 65-year-old senator joins thousands of other men who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 192,280 men will be diagnosed in 2009, and 27,360 will die from the disease. Those statistics make prostate cancer one of the leading killers of men in the U.S.
Although it’s one of the most common cancers suffered by men, there are ways to minimize the risk of getting it, said Dr. Ihor Sawczuk, chairman of urology and chief of urologic oncology at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.
Here are five of them:
1. Get Tested. All men age 40 and older should be tested annually for prostate cancer, Sawczuk said.
The first test measures the level of PSA in the blood. PSA is a substance made mostly by the prostate. Too much PSA in the blood may indicate prostate cancer. However, high levels of PSA may also be indicative of infection, inflammation or an enlarged prostate.
The second test involves a doctor or nurse placing a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum to check the prostate for lumps and anything else unusual.
If either test raises a red flag, doctors may follow up with a prostate biopsy. This is the most accurate way of checking for cancer. However the test is invasive and can result in a urinary tract infection, as well as urinary and incontinence problems.
2. Get Plenty of Vitamin D. Spending time in the sun and taking a daily supplement will help men increase their levels of vitamin D and possibly reduce their risks of prostate cancer.
“Vitamin D has been shown to inhibit prostate cancer cells in the laboratory,” Sawczuk said.
Calcium may reduce the amounts of biologically active vitamin D in the body, so milk drinkers should also look for additional sources of vitamin D, which can be found in cod liver oil, tuna and salmon.
3. Quit Smoking. In addition to harming the lungs and the heart, smoking may also be responsible for the spread of prostate cancer.
A 2003 study from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore found that men under the age of 55 who had prostate cancer and were current or former smokers were 66 percent more likely to see the cancer spread into other areas of the body.
4. Reduce body fat. Being overweight and maintaining a diet that is high in saturated fat, as well as processed and red meats, are risk factors for prostate cancer, said Sawczuk.
Fatty diets have been found to increase testosterone production, which in turn increases the risk of prostate cancer. Research has also shown that men who consume red meat at least five times a week had a 2.5 percent increase in developing prostate cancer than men who ate red meat less then once a week.
5. Eat a Variety of Healthy Foods. There has also been promising research that shows pomegranate, soy and foods high in lycopene, such as tomato sauce, reduce the risk of prostate cancer, Sawczuk said, adding that maintaining a healthy diet is one of the best ways men can reduce their risk of cancer.
ScienceDaily (July 29, 2009) — Investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), along with collaborating teams at the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Michigan, have completed the first large- scale, multi-institutional study of prostate cancer death after standard treatment to remove the prostate since PSA screening has become widely used as a method to screen for the disease.
In the study, published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers found that in a group of 12,677 men who had radical prostatectomies between 1987 and 2005, the fifteen-year mortality rate that could be directly linked to prostate cancer was only 12 percent, even though many of the patients' cancers had aggressive features. Comparatively, the rate of non- cancer-related death in this group was 38 percent. A small fraction, 4 percent, of patients treated surgically within the past ten years had a 5 percent or greater risk of dying of prostate cancer within 15 years. It is not clear at this time whether the outcomes may be related to the effectiveness of surgery and any secondary therapy, or to the low lethality of certain types of prostate cancers to begin with.
"The importance of this paper is that it shows a remarkably low risk of dying of prostate cancer within 15 years for treated men, and supports the concept that men with slow-growing cancers may not need immediate treatment," said senior author Peter Scardino, Chair of the Department of Surgery at MSKCC. "Further good news is that surgery was very effective in preventing death in men with aggressive cancers--defined as those with a high PSA, poorly differentiated with a Gleason grade of 8-10, or locally extensive," Dr. Scardino added.
Not all prostate cancers progress the same way. Many cancers pose little or no threat to life and health, while others grow aggressively and are resistant to treatment. The key is to determine which cancers are "favorable" or ones likely to remain relatively dormant. According to Dr. Scardino, "Currently, there are a number of tools physicians have to help determine the probable course of prostate cancer, but more accurate ones are needed."
Dr. Scardino and colleagues have formulated and pioneered the use of validated statistical models, or nomograms, that help predict the natural progression of prostate cancer and how it will respond to treatment. These nomograms help tailor treatment for men according to the specific characteristics of their cancer. The prostate cancer nomograms are currently the most widely used, disease-specific prediction tool in oncology.
In addition to the nomogram, physicians may use PSA testing, Gleason grade, MRI scans, and multiple biopsies to determine which cancers are likely to be favorable and which are not. While there are tools and models available now to help predict survival, Dr. Scardino and his fellow authors encourage future research to pinpoint better markers specifically associated with the biology of lethal prostate cancer.
"In the future, what we'd like is to be able to do a molecular or genetic analysis of prostate tumor cells to see if they have the capacity to spread, so that we can ask, does your tumor have that capacity? If not, it would be safe to watch," said Dr. Scardino.
As part of the study, 12,677 patients treated with radical prostatectomy between 1987 and 2005 were tracked. Of these patients, 6,398 underwent radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer at either MSKCC or Baylor College of Medicine, with 809 (13%) receiving neoadjuvant androgen-deprivation therapy for an average of 3.2 months. External validation of the nomogram was performed on 4,103 patients treated at Cleveland Clinic and 2,176 patients treated at University of Michigan during the same period.
Prostate biopsy specimens were reviewed by pathologists at each institution before surgery. In general, patients were followed for disease recurrence post operatively with regular PSA tests and clinical exams at three to six month intervals for the first five years, and then annually. The year of surgery was also a consideration, as methods and effectiveness have changed over the years.
While prostate cancer death rates have been dropping over the past decade, according to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that there were 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States in 2008 and 28,660 deaths from the disease.
Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic, University of Michigan, and Baylor College of Medicine contributed to this study. The work was supported by SPORE grants awarded to MSKCC and the University of Michigan by the National Cancer Institute and by the David Koch Foundation and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
ScienceDaily (June 22, 2009) — According to results of a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, men with prostate cancer who consumed the active compounds in green tea demonstrated a significant reduction in serum markers predictive of prostate cancer progression.
"The investigational agent used in the trial, Polyphenon E (provided by Polyphenon Pharma) may have the potential to lower the incidence and slow the progression of prostate cancer," said James A. Cardelli, Ph.D., professor and director of basic and translational research in the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport.
Green tea is the second most popular drink in the world, and some epidemiological studies have shown health benefits with green tea, including a reduced incidence of prostate cancer, according to Cardelli. However, some human trials have found contradictory results. The few trials conducted to date have evaluated the clinical efficacy of green tea consumption and few studies have evaluated the change in biomarkers, which might predict disease progression.
Cardelli and colleagues conducted this open-label, single-arm, phase II clinical trial to determine the effects of short-term supplementation with green tea's active compounds on serum biomarkers in patients with prostate cancer. The biomarkers include hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and prostate specific antigen (PSA). HGF and VEGF are good prognostic indicators of metastatic disease.
The study included 26 men, aged 41 to 72 years, diagnosed with prostate cancer and scheduled for radical prostatectomy. Patients consumed four capsules containing Polyphenon E until the day before surgery — four capsules are equivalent to about 12 cups of normally brewed concentrated green tea, according to Cardelli. The time of study for 25 of the 26 patients ranged from 12 days to 73 days, with a median time of 34.5 days.
Findings showed a significant reduction in serum levels of HGF, VEGF and PSA after treatment, with some patients demonstrating reductions in levels of greater than 30 percent, according to the researchers.
Cardelli and colleagues found that other biomarkers were also positively affected. There were only a few reported side effects associated with this study, and liver function remained normal.
Results of a recent year-long clinical trial conduced by researchers in Italy demonstrated that consumption of green tea polyphenols reduced the risk of developing prostate cancer in men with high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN).
"These studies are just the beginning and a lot of work remains to be done, however, we think that the use of tea polyphenols alone or in combination with other compounds currently used for cancer therapy should be explored as an approach to prevent cancer progression and recurrence," Cardelli said.
William G. Nelson, V., M.D., Ph.D., professor of oncology, urology and pharmacology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, believes the reduced serum biomarkers of prostate cancer may be attributable to some sort of benefit relating to green tea components.
"Unfortunately, this trial was not a randomized trial, which would have been needed to be more sure that the observed changes were truly attributable to the green tea components and not to some other lifestyle change (better diet, taking vitamins, etc.) men undertook in preparation for surgery," added Nelson, who is also a senior editor for Cancer Prevention Research. However, "this trial is provocative enough to consider a more substantial randomized trial."
In collaboration with Columbia University in New York City, the researchers are currently conducting a comparable trial among patients with breast cancer. They also plan to conduct further studies to identify the factors that could explain why some patients responded more dramatically to Polyphenon E than others. Cardelli suggested that additional controlled clinical trials should be done to see if combinations of different plant polyphenols were more effective than Polyphenon E alone.
"There is reasonably good evidence that many cancers are preventable, and our studies using plant-derived substances support the idea that plant compounds found in a healthy diet can play a role in preventing cancer development and progression," said Cardelli.
I'm posting this article so my viewers will know what to expect upon a visit(s) to a urologist office. I briefly touched on this in an earlier article. The initial visit will include a number of tests & exams that could be performed.
The very first thing most office's will do is take a urine sample. This can be used to test for things like UTI(Urinary Tract Infection) & also a source of bacteria in the urine.
Urine samples can also be used to test for other problems as well. The problem with urine samples in checking for prostate related disorders(especially prostatitis) is that bacteria hides in the prostate.
As a matter of fact, 95% of urine samples will show no bacteria in the urine.Even though this is the case, nearly all urologist still treat the patient as having bacteria from the urine since it hides in the prostate.
Once giving a urine sample then probably the next exam will be something that I also briefly touched on & that's a Digital Rectal Exam(DRE). This is an exam that's standard in checking for prostate related diseases. This exam involves the doctor inserting his index finger or fingers into the rectum.
This allows him/her to physically examine the prostate. The exam only last for around 30-45 seconds at most. The doctor will be checking for abnormalities from the prostate. The abnormalities checked for might be enlargement,inflammation,swelling,lumps, & tumors. As for most men the biggest worry would be a tumor(possible cancer).
I can speak from experience that this exam isn't a comfortable one. This will be especially uncomfortable if you have a swollen or enlarged prostate. Actually, if you have any prostate related problem then it's gonna be pretty uncomfortable. I was nauseated for 20+ minutes after my first DRE. I broke out into a cold sweat & just felt really weird for a while.
Once this exam is performed then the doctor will normally tell you right away what's felt upon examination. This will help in determining his diagnosis & treatment option(s).
The next test probably done will be what's called a "Urethral Swab". This is a long cotton swab that's inserted into the penis to check for STD's(Sexually Transmitted Diseases). This too isn't comfortable but isn't nearly as bad as the DRE. This test will even be shorter than the DRE & usually last only 10 seconds. This test is done to rule out any STD's.
The next test that will probably be done is called the PSA(Prostate Specific Antigen). This is a blood test from the body to be sent off to a lab for examination. The #1 reason for this test it check for prostate cancer. The other advantages of this exam is that the blood work can be used to look for other problems as well.
This is called a CBC(Complete Blood Count). Things like red & white blood cells can be examined to determine the count. Red & white blood cell counts can show possible infections. Minerals & vitamin deficiencies can be looked at as well as other areas.
The PSA will give a number reading for possible diagnosis of prostate cancer. I say the word possible here & that's important. The higher the PSA reading the better chances of having cancer. Normal readings for this test is between 1.0-5.0 ng/ml. Older men(60+) could have a reading up to the 5.0 range or slightly higher & still not have cancer. This is typical in aging & shouldn't be considered alarming. The bottom line is that men over 60 can have a higher than normal reading & still be safe from cancer.
Anything higher than a reading of 1.0- 5.0 ng/ml is considered high but doesn't necessarily mean cancer is present. Further test(s) will need to be done to confirm cancer if readings are in the high range. My reading was at 0.9ng/ml which is well below the normal range. This gave me some relief when this reading was given to me.
Another test that may be performed is called a "Urine Flow Test". This test involves collecting urine at a midstream flow. This is an even better way of diagnosing prostatitis.
A couple other tests that may be done are called a "Premassage Urine Culture", & "Postmassage Urine Culture". The words pre & post tell that one is done before a prostate massage & the other is done after. Prostate massage is where the doctor performs a similar act as the DRE.
The index finger is inserted into the rectum but this time the prostate is massaged for maybe a couple minutes. This way possibly some bacteria is then loosened from the prostate & also fluid can be examined under a microscope.
Some urologist may not perform all these tests in this order or may leave certain test out. It all depends on the doctor. I just know these are the common examinations upon initial visits to a urologist office. It will take a few days to get the results of the PSA test back.
Conventional Treatment Options:
Diagnosis of BPH(Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, also known as an "enlarged prostate"):
This condition is usually treated with a class of drugs called alpha blockers. The most prescribed alpha blocker is called Proscar(also known as finasteride). Other alpha blockers include terazosin, doxazosin,& tamsulosin. All of these drugs are administered to help shrink the prostate.
Other forms of treatment are Microwave Therapy, Ttransurethral Needle Ablation, Transurethral Surgery, Open Surgery,& Laser Surgery. These types of treatments are normally later options since they involve more serious implementation.
Diagnosis of Prostatitis(all forms):
This condition is almost always treated with antibiotics. Like I stated earlier bacteria can hide in the prostate so this class of medicine is given for prostatitis no matter the type of prostatitis. There is big concerns over this because why treat a condition with no bacteria relation with an antibiotic? This is a standard practice for most urologists in that antibiotics are given for any prostatitis diagnosis. I certainly went through this with 3 different courses of an antibiotic called Doxycycline.
There are are also alternative treatments for prostatitis that I'll be covering in more detail with an upcoming article. The conventional method of treatment is the route urologists are gonna pursue. These methods can be effective if taken in the right direction. However, there's so many instances to where this doesn't work that it leads to other options. This is why I'll cover those options in another article.
As you can see from this article diagnosing a prostate disease is certainly not an easy task. The doctor has numerous things to consider. There are numerous tests that can be done to check for many problems. Not all of these tests will turn out to be prostate related. Some may show a problem in another reproductive part of the body. Symptoms for all of these prostate disorders are so similar. It takes a good urologist & in my opinion an "experienced" one as well to determine the patients diagnosis.
Studies are currently being done now that hopefully will allow better treatment options for prostatitis. This also can be said with prostate cancer & the rest of prostate related illnesses. There is no good way to treat prostatitis except that antibiotics are nearly always the first action taken.
This concerns me in that this is the set way or "standard" of treatment. As with any prescription medication there are side effects. All a man with prostate problems needs is more symptoms from the side effects of medication. It's hard enough to deal with any prostate disorder(s) alone & then have added symptoms related directly to the medication as well.
Well, I hope I've given men that are facing their doctor's visits some helpful information. I'm sure you'll be nervous just like me when I was thinking the worst. I absolutely dreaded my first appointment. I didn't wanna hear bad news but I did wanna find out what in the world was wrong with me. I'm glad I took that initial step because this started my path to better health.
This was only a small part in the process but definitely the first step. I'll be covering some alternative treatments in the next article. I appreciate everyone viewing & feel free to post a comment or question to this article or any article of mine. I'll be posting my alternative treatments article very soon. Thanks for viewing my blog! Also, you can now check out my recently created You Tube video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIdxmsutyPE
Let me start out by giving my viewers the background of my initial signs of a prostate issue:
September, 2007:
I started having some very minor urination problems during this month. They were barely noticeable but more night-time bathroom trips & slight burning during urination where the main signs. I started drinking more water & thought this would clear things up.
October, 2007:
My symptoms started getting worse. I had more night-time bathroom trips & burning during urination. I also started feeling like I was setting on a golf ball at times. I again started drinking extra water daily. I felt better for a short period of time but still symptoms where never gone.
November, 2007:
By this time, things were gradually getting worse. I was only drinking water & green tea at this time. I had no other type fluids going into my body. My symptoms were just getting worse by the day.
December, 2007:
This was getting near holiday time & I wasn't feeling well at all. My burning & bathroom trips were more frequent. I then had additional symptoms of feeling tired & depressed. I wasn't eating regularly & my appetite was going south. I hadn't lost much weight at this time but was showing signs of trouble eating.
January, 2008:
I started feeling very down & depressed. I couldn't do any setting for longer than 10-15 minutes at a time.I would break out into a sweat if I set too long & would feel like I was going to faint. I still was in denial I guess but tried to keep going. I was not very active at all even though I had been active all my life. I was very depressed but still wasn't getting any help because of my denial about having a prostate issue. Men are sometimes too manly to admit there's something going on down there, right? I was starting to think the worse & I was dead-set I had prostate cancer.
February, 2008:
I was getting much worse by this time & was now suffering from fever & chills to go along with all the other symptoms. I then decided it was time to finally try to figure pout what was going on with me. My wife had really fussed at me all the time to go to the doctor. However, I'm a man & we don't admit there's a problem there like I said before.
March, 2008:
After researching on the net for days I decided to make a phone call to a local urologist office. I went to my first appointment on March 28th. I provided a urine sample to go along with blood work. The doctor then asked to do a Digital Rectal Exam(DRE) to check my prostate manually. The word "digital" here doesn't mean by a machine but by the doctor's finger. I knew this wasn't going to be any fun. Upon examination, the doctor stated that my prostate was "very enlarged" & felt soft to the touch. This normally shows a prostate infection & therefore he suggested treatment with antibiotics.
I was given a 3-week course of Doxycycline to treat the supposed infection. BTW, the PSA(Prostate Specific Antigen) test came back with a reading of 0.9 which is below normal for any prostate cancer. Normal is considered between 1.0-4.0 on a scale. Anything above 4.0 is considered abnormal but higher numbers are more serious like 10.0 or higher. That relieved me somewhat for a short time. I will cover this test in detailed later as well.
April, 2008:
After going through the 3-week treatment with antibiotics I did feel quite a bit better. However, about a week after the treatment stopped I started feeling bad again. I was getting back the frequent urination at night & burning during urination along with the golf ball feeling from the testicle area. About 2 weeks later I was right back where I was before with pain from sitting & depressed. I then said I'm gonna study on the net even more about this situation. Doctors like to throw antibiotics into our bodies for all sorts of health problems. Once studying more I was thinking that this wasn't going to make me better or at least allow me to manage my prostate problems.
May, 2008:
I decided I would give the urologist office another call for another appointment. However, I got so sick that I couldn't wait for that appointment & had to make a trip to the ER. I was the sickest I had been now with nausea,pain,sweats,& very depressed. The ER doctor stated that I had been on the wrong antibiotics & changed it to an0ther in the same class. This was also a 3-week course treatment. I didn't keep my followup appointment with the urologist since I was back on antibiotics.
June, 2008:
Once the most recent course of antibiotics was finished I again started feeling bad. This was only about 4-5 days after the treatment stopped. I then started researching deeply on the net about my prostate problems. What I found out was that this was the typical protocol by doctor's for prostate infections. They rarely worked & some people even suffered worse problems from antibiotics. I still decided to call the urologist office for an appointment. I went to this appointment on June 26. I again was diagnosed with an infection & that more antibiotics was needed. I SAID NO THANKS THIS TIME! I told the doctor I was considering alternative treatments now instead of prescription meds.
July, 2008:
After extensive research I decided that I would give herbals a try to see if that route helped. I visited many sites researching the best herbs & herbal brand name products to possibly try. I mean I spent hours daily trying to make sure that I didn't throw money away to these so called scammers. There are tons of products & formulas to treat not only prostate disorders but many health-related problems. I didn't want to go with the wrong products. I found quite a few single supplements/herbs that I started using & I will be going in detail on these in future writings. To be short at this time I started taking about 16 combination herbs & supplements in the month of July.
August-October, 2008:
During these 3 months I kept at taking the herbs & supplements on a regular basis. Boy, I was feeling like a new person compared to the feeling while on antibiotics. I still am only drinking filtered water & green tea all during this time & NOTHING else period. Another thing I need to mention is my DIET. This is also a big factor in managing prostate related illnesses.
I too will be going over my detailed diet in the future. One other thing is LIFE-STYLE change. I will cover all these things at a later time but right now I wanna just give the rundown of my prostate problems & timing. By the end of October I was actually nearly 100% symptom free. I felt like I had my life back again & wasn't worried now about prostate cancer.
November, 2008-present:
Now, I appear to have my life completely back with barely noticeable symptoms. Most of the time I don't even have any symptoms at all. Prostate infections are divided into several categories & I will cover this in future articles. All prostate infections are called "prostatitis" but here is where they get divided into types. These will be covered later. I will provide links to many of the same sites I used & will provide as much help for people that are experiencing the same awful medical problems I went through.
It's not something that any man wants to experience but maintaining prostate performance & health will go a long way towards avoiding issues in the future & also lead the ones suffering back to good health. Looking forward to posting more articles in the near future & I will be back soon with more information. Thanks for reading & have a great day!
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