An In-Depth look at Prostate Cancer Treatment
Cancerisanabnormalcellulargrowthinaspecificbodyregionthatisabletospreadinternally andcoverotherareas.Ifleftuntreated,itcausesanumberoflife-threateningconditionsthat mayevenleadtofatality.
World Health Organization (WHO)notescancertobethesecondleadingcauseofdeath.An estimated9.6milliondeathshaveoccurredduetoitin2018alone.Thatamountsto1inevery 6lossesoflives.
What is Prostate Cancer?
Prostatecancerreferstothedevelopmentofcancerintheprostateglandofthemale reproductiveorgan.
Itsgrowthrateisobservedtobehighlyinconsistent,withamajorityofitbeingslowtoform whilesomemanifestingatafairlyrapidpace.Butthefactthatitmayspreadouttowardsother bodyareas,specificallybonesandlymphnodes,isproventobeconclusive.
Symptoms of Prostate Cancer: Early Warning Signs
Prostatecancermayprovetobehardtodetectduetoithavingzeroorfainttracesofinitial symptomoccurrence.However,ifleftuntreated,anumberofsymptomaticconstraintspertain toitcanbeseen.Thisincludes–
o Frequentfatigue
o Paininthebackorhip
o Bloodinurine
o Unexplainedweightloss
Adverse effects and complications
Presenceofprostatecancerinthebodycanresultinanumberofadverseeffectsand complications.Hereareafewofthemostcommonones-
o Spreading to other areas (metastasize) -Likeeveryothercancercondition, prostatecancerhasanin-borntendencytospreadtootherbodyareassuchasthe bladderorpancreasorevenbones.Theconditionisstilltreatablebuttreatmentis muchharder.
o Urination disorder (haematuria) -Withtheon-setofprostatecancer,theurinary tractofthepatientmaygetdamaged.Thiscausesextremedifficultyinurinatingor eventheformationofbloodduringitsdispensing.Treatmentofprostatecancermay resultinmitigationofthisissue.
o Inability to gain erection (erectile dysfunction) –Erectiledysfunctionisaoneof themostcommonlyoccurringsymptomsofprostatecancer.Through radiation therapy andsurgery,thiseffectmightbealleviatedbuttreatmentofprostatecancer, isnotedtoprovidealong-lastingsolution.
What increases the risk of prostate cancer development in the body?
Prostatecancerisknowntobeoneofthemostcommonlyoccurringcondition.It’sformationis attributedtowardscertainaspects.The3ofthemaemainlyassociatedwithitare-
o Age – 99% of prostate cancer cases appear in males aged 50 and above. This is primarily attributed to the fact that with advancement of age, body metabolism is known todepreciate. Asa result, cancer-born defects and abnormalitiesare able to faceminimalresistancefromthebodyimmunesystem.
o Ethnicity – Medical studies have concluded that people of African descend are 1.6 timesmorelikelytodevelopprostatecancer.Thisisprimarilyduetothedifference MSMBgenesecretedbycertaincellsintheprostate.
o Dietary habits – A lower concentration of vitamin D is shown to present a higher chanceforprostatecancerdevelopment.Thisiswhy,dietingonegg,fish,cheese,etc. canreducechancesofprostatecanceroccurrence.
Prostate Cancer Screening and Diagnosis
Inordertodetectthepresenceofprostatecancerinthebody,multipletestsareinitiatedonthe patient.Hereisabriefoverviewoftheproceduresfollowed–
1. Preliminary Screening
Nosymptomaticpresencesuggestsprostatecancerdevelopment.However,specificchangesin theinnerbodyanatomycanbeobserved.Herearesomeofthetestsperformed-
o Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) – The doctor examines lower body for issues. Anomaliesintheprostateglandaresubsequentlydetectedintheprocess.
o Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test - Thebloodconcentrationlevelsinthebodyare substantially increased during prostate cancer occurrences. This proves its formation.
2. Diagnosis
If evidence of prostate cancer is found prior to the preliminary examination, the patient is recommended to undergo a diagnosis examination. Here are some of the diagnostic tests performed-
o Ultrasound examination – A small cigar-shaped probe is inserted into the rectal cavity.Theprobeemitssoundwavesthatcreateaclearpictureoftheprostategland.
o CT scan –ACTscannerallowsaparticularbodyregiontobecross-examined.Inthis case,thescanisperformedontheprostateregion.Anyanomaliesrelatingtocancer growthformationcanbesubsequentlydetected.
o Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) –Thisdiagnosisprocedureinvolvestheinsertion offingerintotherectalcavitybythe diagnosticdoctor. Ifthesurgeoncomesacross anyanomaliesintheregionthatmightpointtowardsprostatecancer.
o Biomarker test – Apersonwithcancerwilldevelopasubstanceknownasbiomarker within the blood or urine. It is produced by the body itself in response to cancer tumourgrowthandspread.Thediagnosisdoctorissettorunadiagnosticcheck-up ontheobtainedsampletoverifyit.
o PSA test – PSAorProstate-specificAntigenisasubstancedevelopedbycertainbody cells.Studieshavefoundthatitbelongstotheproteasefamilyofkallikren,whichis whyitisdubbedhumankallikrein3(HK3)Bymeasuringitsproductionratefromthe Prostategland,examinerscandetermineifprostatecancerispresentinthebody.
Prostate Cancer Treatment
Several promising treatment procedures to contain prostate cancer spread and growth are knowntoexist.Afewoftheseinclude–
1. Radical Prostatectomy
Thisinvolvesthesurgicalremovaloftheprostateglandandassociatedtissuesnearby.Beforeit commences,acathetertubeisinsertedintothebladdertodrainouttheurine.
Thistreatmentisknowntobeonlyeffectiveiftheprostatecancerconditionhasnotspreadto otherbodyregions.
2. Nuclear Medicine Therapy
Nuclear Medicine Therapy,alsoknownastargetedradionuclidetherapy(TAT),itinvolvesthe infusionofmedicaldrugcontainradioactivemolecules.Ittravelstothecancer-afflictedregion anddeliversthetherapymoleculeswhichdestroythecancercells.
3. Cryosurgery
This surgery technique refers to the Creation of a frigid temperature condition. This destroys abnormaltissueorcellulargrowth.Forthissurgerytechnique,theprostateglandissurgically removedfirstbeforeenvelopingitincoldtemperaturetodestroythecancertumourcells.The surgerytechniqueisstillinexperimentalstagesatthispointintime.
4. High intensity Focus Ultrasound Therapy
In thistherapya highenergyinfusedbeam ofultrasonicsound,isprojectedontothe prostate canceraffectedarea.Indoingso,cancertumourcellsareeradicatedonebyone.Thistherapyis stillinitsinfantilestage,buttheimplicationsarenotedtobepromising.
5. Proton Beam Radiation Therapy
Asinglebeamofprotonconsistsofanumberofhighenergylightparticles.Byfocusingabeam of protons onto the cancer affected region in the prostate area, tumour cells can be removed. This therapy is considered tobe the most consistent and reliable therapy in prostate cancer treatment.
6. Photodynamic Therapy
PhotodynamictherapyorPDTusesspecialdrugsthatarenotedtobephotosensitizingagentsor substancesthatcanonlyreactbyapplyingabeamoflight.Thesechemicalsentertheprostate region of the patient prior to intravenous injection. Once it reaches its destination, it is autoactivatedontheapplicationofacertainrayoflighttoreleasechemicals.Thesechemicals destroytheprostatecancertumourcells.
Stages of Prostate Cancer
Tomeasurethedegreeofseverityofthecancerspread,doctorsassignacertainvaluetodenote it.Thestagesanditsimplicationsareasfollows-
Stage 1
Atthisstage,itisrelativelyharmless.Theparentprostatecancertumourisnotnoticeabledue tothefactthesizeofthetumourisminimal.Asamatteroffact,theytendtoresemblehealthy cells.
Stage 2
Theparentcancertumourisslightlylargernowbutisquitesmall.However,itisknowntobein theprocessspreadingatarapidpace.
Stage 3
Theparentcancertumourissignificantlylargerandwouldlikelyspreadtootherbodyareas
Stage 4
Prostatecancerhasspreadouttootherbodyareas.
With proper diagnosis, the doctor is able to find out the cancer stage and proceed with the treatmentaccordingly.
Ref:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostate_cancer
https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prostate-cancer/diagnosis-treatment/drc20353093
https://www.snmmi.org/AboutSNMMI/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=12772
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