All About Prostate Cancer

With this month being the month of Movember, we thought it’ll be good to tell you readers more about prostate cancer.

What is a Prostate?

The prostate is about the size of a walnut and is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The prostate’s main function is to make fluid for semen.

So what is Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer is a disease in which cancer cells grow in the prostate – a gland in the male reproductive system. In its early stage, prostate cancer needs the male hormone testosterone to grow and survive.

Prostate Cancer can spread

Sometimes, cancer cells break away from a malignant tumor in the prostate and enter the bloodstream and travel to other organs in the body. When the cancer spreads from its original location in the prostate to another part of the body, it is called metastatic prostate cancer.

Symptoms and Signs

Early prostate cancer usually has no symptoms and may be detected incidentally during a routine body examination. As the disease advances in stage, the person affected might find it difficult to pass urine. The cancer can spread to any parts of the body with the most common site being the bone. As such a common symptom is bone pain.

Diagnosis

As the prostate is located in front of the rectum, it can be examined by the doctor using a gloved finger. Apart from physical examination, blood tests can also help diagnose this cancer. To confirm the cancer’s presence, small pieces of tissue from the prostate gland are removed and examined. CT or MRI scans might also be performed to find out the extent of prostate cancer.

Causes

There is no single cause of prostate cancer. It is thought that smoking and genetic pre-disposition are among the contributory factors.

How susceptible am I to it?

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer among men, in fact it is the third most common cancer in men. This cancer usually occurs after the age of 50 years and is seen mostly in those over 70 years of age. The disease rarely occurs in men younger than 40 years of age.

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Contest

We are giving away six bottles of Swisse Ultiboost Prostate, a supplement that contains vitamins, minerals and herbs to support healthy prostate function.

To win, you just have to answer the following question: “In its early stage, what do prostate cancer cells need in order to grow and survive?”

Like our Facebook page and send your answers by email – by 23:59 November 21 – to hello@activeage.co with your name, age and contact number and subject line entry of ‘All About Prostate Cancer’. Contest is open to Singapore-based readers only.

Clues can be found in the article above, good luck!

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