Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

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Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

03rd, Mar 2014

Recent evidence suggests that men over the age of 50 are very poor at recognising symptoms which are worrying and may be a sign of serious underlying health problems.

Recent evidence suggests that men over the age of 50 are very poor at recognising symptoms which are worrying and may be a sign of serious underlying health problems.

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It has been acknowledged for many years that men are not good at sharing health problems with family members, peers or health professionals so this new finding is worrying for those of us concerned for the health of our patients.

Many health issues do present themselves at an early stage, and often curable cancers and other serious illnesses present themselves at a time when they can and should be cured.

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Changes in urinary function are common in the over 50s. Many men are aware that they have a prostate gland but have absolutely no idea what it does or even where exactly it is. The prostate gland is only found in men and it lies below the bladder, deep in the pelvis. It is approximately the size of a Walnut or a Chestnut, so it is not very large. The urinary tract, which empties the bladder, passes through the Prostate. The Prostate gradually enlarges in men over the age of 50 and by the age of 70 most men will have a degree of prostate enlargement which may cause impairment of the flow out of the bladder. Prostate glands enlarge as men get older, and as the size increases, the function of the urinary tract decreases. The above changes or symptoms are usually a sign of normal benign enlargement of the prostate but sometimes are a sign of prostate cancer- It is difficult to tell from the symptoms whether or not this is a benign or malignant enlargement. Bladders too can also develop cancerous growths, so report any changes in the waterworks to a Doctor even if it is a little embarrassing and may lead to an embarrassing examination being done. It may save your life.

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Prostate cancer is diagnosed in about 40,000 men every year in the UK, mostly in the over 65’s, and it is estimated that 1 in 8 men will be affected by prostate cancer at one point in their life. There is no clear cause but many theories are expounded regularly. One pattern which is proven is that of first degree relatives (i.e. a father or brother) who have Prostate cancer diagnosed under the age of 60, lead to an increased risk for a man, and new research into breast cancer in women has found an association with the faulty gene causing certain types of breast cancer also being inherited by males in the same family which can lead to Prostate cancer.

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Prostate cancer, like benign Prostatic disease, may be slow growing and localised in many cases and it may be appropriate for a specialist simply to carry out what is called “Active Surveillance”. This involves regular follow up and assessment with the option to intervene if necessary.

The rule of thumb here is all about reporting any changes in urinary pattern. Please report to your GP if you are getting up a lot through the night to urinate, passing urine a lot more frequently through the day time, becoming unable to get the flow of urine started, having pain or discomfort when you pass urine, having incontinence, especially after you think that you have totally emptied your bladder, a feeling of incomplete emptying of your bladder and of course if you pass any blood in the urine.

3fivetwo Group

3FiveTwo Healthcare is launching a Bespoke Prostate assessment service for men who think that they might have a Prostate problem, men under 50yrs of age can attend but prostate issues are very rare in younger men. This service is run by specially trained GPs and Nurses, who will do the initial screening examinations and tests, and is supervised by one of our Consultant Urologists, Mr Hugh O’Kane.

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