Prostate Cancer – Causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and much more in words of Dr. Ravi K Arora

Dr. Ravi K Arora shares his views on prostate cancer. Dr. Ravi emphasizes its early diagnosis. He also talks about its different stages and their available treatment

Do you know 1 in 8 men are being diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime? Prostate cancer is a severe disease for many adult men. It’s the second most common cancer in men worldwide, and the risk of developing it increases in elderly men. The disease starts when cells begin to grow out of control in the prostate gland. The 5-year survival rate for prostate cancer in India is 64%. Old age, obesity, improper diet, and genetic alterations have been identified as some of the main contributing factors towards an increased cause of prostate cancer. We at Medicircle are conducting the National Prostate Cancer Month Awareness Series to be aware of this problem of prostate cancer which will help you deal with it.

Dr. Ravi K Arora is a Senior Consultant Oncosurgeon at Fortis Hospital, Faridabad. He is an Onco Surgeon with more than 25 yrs. of experience working and being associated with some of the best-dedicated cancer centers in India and abroad. He has been instrumental in setting up surgical oncology in some major centers, which are now vibrant cancer Centres of excellence, like Metro Cancer Centre and Hospital, Preet Vihar Delhi, Nayati Medicity, and Superspeciality hospitals Mathura, Agra, Delhi. He has the credit of performing cancer surgeries on more than 7000 cancer patients.

Dr. Ravi explains, “Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer can be genetic. It has also been observed that 2–3% of patients have prostate cancer in their blood relatives. Some specific genes are associated with prostate cancer. If anyone is having a family history of prostate cancer, they should go for regular testing/screening for the same.

Prostate-Specific Antigen value (PSA Value)

Dr. Ravi mentions, “PSA is a kind of protein that gets secreted from prostate glands. Normal PSA level is 0-4 ng/ml. If this level starts rising, it means tissues are secreting more of this antigen which is an abnormal condition. Patients with a higher level of PSA need to be screened, investigated for the exact cause. Generally, it has been seen that people with high PSA levels are often diagnosed with cancer.

Excessive urination and prostate cancer

Dr. Ravi adds, “Excessive urination can be because of the urinary bladder or prostate glands. So, first, the right evaluation is needed. To overcome this, the patient should not drink water before bedtime and should consult a specialist. There are medicines available that control the hyperactivity of the bladder. Getting up 1-2 times at night for urine is normal but if it is more frequent than this or if the frequency starts obstructing the sleep, then it is a matter of concern. This can be seen in young men also. Men with cystitis, UTI, or prostatitis often face this problem of excessive urination. But normally it is seen in the elderly population.”

Prostate cancer - Dos and Don’ts

Dr. Ravi emphasizes, "We cannot stop prostate cancer but we can surely screen the patient for early diagnosis. An inactive lifestyle is one of the main contributing factors to prostate cancer. It is seen that people who are obese, smoke, drink alcohol, or follow a sedentary lifestyle are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer. So, people should have control on their weight and should follow an active lifestyle. Apart from this, green tea, soya, tomatoes, and calcium intake help decrease the incidences of cancer to some extent.

Secondly, screening is very much important. After the age of 40-45, all men should take annual PSA screening. If there is a family history of prostate cancer, screening should be started at a much early age. By this, we can keep an eye on the changes that are occurring in the prostate gland.”

Prostate cancer symptoms

Dr. Ravi says, “The symptoms include frequent urination, nocturia (increased urination at night), difficulty starting and maintaining a steady stream of urine, haematuria (blood in the urine), dysuria (painful urination).”

Categorization of Stages

Talking about its stages, Dr. Ravi categorizes the disease as,

Stage I (Early stage)– Difficulty in passing urine, PSA marginally raised
Stage II (Locally advanced stage) – Haematuria, difficulty in maintaining a steady stream of urine
Stage III (Advanced stage) – Blood in the rectum, difficulty in passing stools
Stage IV (Metastatic stage) – Pain in spine, weak bladder

Prostate cancer treatment

Dr. Ravi explains, “Diagnosis of prostate cancer is done by PSA, PET Scan. In an early stage, where there are no symptoms but the PSA level is marginally raised, we just perform the biopsy and keep the patient under observation. Prostate cancer can be of two types – aggressive and dormant. The second stage of prostate cancer can be treated with radiation or surgery or cryotherapy. For the third stage of prostate cancer patients, we can use hormonal manipulation. Prostate glands regulate through testosterone. If all this fails, the option left is chemotherapy. So, we can treat this condition using radiation, surgery, hormonal therapy, cryotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy depending on at what stage the patient comes."

(Edited by Renu Gupta)

 

Contributed By: Dr. Ravi K Arora, Senior Consultant Oncosurgeon, Fortis Hospital

Tags : #National-Prostate-Cancer-Month-Awareness-Series #DrRaviKArora #FortisHospital #Prostatecancer #Prostateglandscancer #Symptomsofprostatecancer #Diagnosisandtreatmentofprostatecancer #Prostatecancerstages #PSATest #PSAValue #Medicircle #SmitaKumar

Related Stories

Loading Please wait...

-Advertisements-




Trending Now

The Surprising Link Between Sleep and Age Perception: What You Need to KnowMarch 29, 2024
The Dark Side of Beauty: Kidney Damage from Hair Straightening TreatmentsMarch 29, 2024
The Dark Side of Beauty: Kidney Damage from Hair Straightening TreatmentsMarch 29, 2024
Avance Clinical at World Vaccine Congress to Share Latest Vaccine Clinical Trial News Including an HIV-1 StudyMarch 29, 2024
Sexual wellness superstore, Love Depot launches digital campaign to deliver every desireMarch 28, 2024
Recharge Your Life: Simple Ways to Boost Your Physical and Mental EnergyMarch 28, 2024
The Neurological Toll of Common Household Chemicals: Insights from Recent ResearchMarch 28, 2024
The Aging Puzzle: Decoding the Mechanisms of AgingMarch 28, 2024
The Double-Edged Sword of Kala-azar Treatment: Shedding Light on Eye ComplicationsMarch 28, 2024
FTCCI Launches Industry-Academia Connect to improve the employability of Engineering Graduates and address the growing demand for Talent in Emerging TechMarch 27, 2024
NTT and Olympus Begin World's First Joint Demonstration Experiment of Cloud Endoscopy SystemMarch 27, 2024
NTT and Olympus Begin World's First Joint Demonstration Experiment of Cloud Endoscopy SystemMarch 27, 2024
2nd Edition of IIFL JITO Ahimsa Run for peace & for non-violence to be held on 31st MarchMarch 27, 2024
Brij Hotels Announced 4 Million in Series A Funding March 27, 2024
Combatting Childhood Sedentariness: The Key to Preventing Premature Vascular DamageMarch 27, 2024
Crucial Findings: Unlocking Paths to Combat Ebola's DevastationMarch 27, 2024
Guarding Against Disease: The Crucial Role of Oral Hygiene in Preventive HealthcareMarch 27, 2024
Sanofi & Cipla announce exclusive distribution partnership to expand reach of CNS portfolio in IndiaMarch 26, 2024
Surmandal's Tribute to the Legends of Hindustani Classical MusicMarch 26, 2024
In Moscow, over 350,000 mammograms have been analyzed using artificial intelligence as part of the compulsory health insurance programMarch 26, 2024