Prostate Cancer: These 7 symptoms you should know

Prostate Cancer: These 7 symptoms you should know

Prostate Cancer: These 7 symptoms you should know

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. The early detection of changes to the prostate is the most important and a regular screening can save lives. Finally, the symptoms of prostate cancer are often only noticeable when the tumor has already reached a certain size. About 26% of all men are affected by prostate cancer during their lifetime, this type of cancer is the most common in men. In the case of every second man over 50, changes occur in the prostate over time, these can be harmless or not. The most common causes of prostate cancer include a poor diet, an advanced age, and a genetic predisposition.

Thus benign and malignant changes of the prostate differ from each other. Not every change to the prostate is automatically malignant and thus classified as cancer. It can also be a benign alteration of the prostate gland. This may be problematic by gradually narrowing the urethra, but the cells do not grow uncontrolled and attack neither the lymph and other organs.

Benign changes usually manifest themselves through specific symptoms such as a weaker urine stream and a more frequent urge to urinate. Malignant changes occur mostly in the outer zone of the prostate, far from the urethra, which may take until the tumor is discovered.

Early discovery is the key
Prostate tumors tend to spread over the nerve fibers into the lymphatics and lymph nodes and into the bones. Metastases can then arise in the bones, which can cause pain and bone fractures. Basically, as with all types of cancer and other diseases: the sooner they are discovered, the better they can be treated and the better the complete healing chances.

Typical for prostate cancer are these 7 symptoms:

  • Pain during urination or problems with bowel movements
  • Pain in the prostate
  • Pain in the erection, erectile dysfunction and decreased ejaculation
  • Decreased urine volume and interrupted or attenuated urine stream
  • Frequent but difficult urination (multiple urination in the night)
  • Rare: blood in the sperm or urine
  • If the cancer is already metastasized, bone pain in the pelvis or lower pelvic area is typical


It is important to know, however, that these symptoms are often only noticeable when the prostate carcinoma has already reached a certain size. Only then does it press on the urethra or causes other ailments.

Even in larger carcinomas the healing chances are good
As long as the cancer is still in the prostate capsule, it can be cured by surgery. Even if it grows, there are still healing chances. With metastasis, life expectancy can still be ten years or more.

However, since 10% of all cancer deaths are attributable to prostate cancer in men, early detection is incredibly important and even in the case of the slightest discomfort, men should go to the doctor. From the age of 40 onwards regular care is also important, with which diseases can be recognized at an early stage.

Although the number of diagnosed prostate cancer cases has increased for decades, the mortality rate has not increased. The 5-year survival rate a frequently used indicator for the survival probability of cancer patients - is 87% for prostate cancer.
The scourge of the XXI century: the survivors

The scourge of the XXI century: the survivors

The scourge of the XXI century: the survivors
Take Pierre Gagnon.  Pierre is one of those men (Photo: François Roy, La Presse)
Pierre is one of those men who go through life pedaling, jogging and eating healthy foods. No Smoking, Amateur red wine. Then one day, seven years ago, he was diagnosed with colon cancer, stage 3. Yes, if you smoke, you risk lung cancer. The link is clear. But we do not know what causes most cancers. What pushes a cell to become insane, to multiply uncontrollably and turn into a crab. Every year in Quebec, 45,000 Quebecers are affected by a cancer diagnosis; 20,000 die. Since 2006, cancer is the leading cause of death in the country.

In short, agonizing lottery. But there is still more distressing. There Lottery healing. Take Pierre Gagnon. Pierre is one of those men who go through life pedaling, jogging and eating healthy foods. No Smoking, Amateur red wine. Then one day, seven years ago, he was diagnosed with colon cancer, stage 3.

What causes colon cancer? We do not know. What is known is that it is one of the deadliest cancers: second cause of cancer death in Canada. survival rate after five years: 62%. Better than for pancreatic cancer (6%) and esophagus (14%), poorer than in the case of thyroid cancer (98%) and testes (96%).

It was Pierre me summary lottery chemotherapy when I asked him why, in his opinion, he had beaten cancer. Jogging, Peter? All-Bran?

Peter's answer, I fear, will disappoint you: "Luck."

A cell luck, if you want. It is 5-FU or fluorouracil, who saved him. 5-FU, once metabolized, stops (I summarize excessive here) mitosis (cell reproduction), murdering suddenly whack the cells that cause cancer. But, sometimes, the cancer cells thwart chemotherapy. Pierre Gagnon talks about luck. Me too. I know that scientists do not like the word "luck". But there is a mystery in the resistance - or not - of cancer cells to chemotherapy.

This mystery is summarized well in metastasis, truths about cancer of French cancer Laurent Schwartz: "Cancer cells are malignant in both senses of the word. Attacked, they quickly find new parades, develop various resistances to other disposal techniques. "

But for Peter, that's clear. Its survival, he has a cell lucky shot. 5-FU was able to kill his evil: "In my case, the chemistry worked. Science has worked. That's all." I hear you! I can hear you scream that attitude changes everything, that positivism can move mountains (and tumors). Lance Armstrong, as Saku Koivu wanted them, and they have beaten cancer.

Perhaps. But science, she says the opposite. She says that positivism probably alter the outcome of the battle. Josée Savard, professor of psychology and researcher in psycho-oncology at Laval University, said even that positivism, for cancer patients, can become a tyranny. Better to adopt realistic thinking to avoid sinking deeper into depression (1).

Obviously, to sing the virtues of positivism against cancer, we hear only the survivors. Those who are dead are not here to say that they, too, during the battle, they were positive to the bone. Its six months of chemo, Pierre pulled a book that is full of humor and humanity: 5-FU. Page 34: "CANCER I typed on my computer keyboard, then I responded. I learned that I am in grade 3 disease, which has four. I also found the 10 most common clichés, including this one: "A positive mind and constructive thinking can cure cancer." I closed my ordino. This week alone, at least 10 people have told me this statement, believing it hard as iron. "

At the lottery healing, Pierre Gagnon has drawn the correct number: Poison 5-FU has interacted with his body. Sometimes this is not the case: the patient's DNA does not metabolize the poison. Cancer cells continue their deleterious ride.

"There continues Pierre, thousands of examples of guys like eating well and that chemistry did not work. And thousands of smokers, pizza eaters, for which it worked"

Pierre Gagnon attributes his survival to luck, period. Do not talk to him even courage. In 5-FU, he describes himself as a coward. In an interview, he said that courage, he found the third floor of the CHUL in Quebec City. Upstairs children with cancer. This is the third floor, I think, he designed genocidal desires to proponents of "Total Biology" zozos those who say that your cancer is the result of a problem, for example, in the early childhood.

"I think Juliet standing in the park, in the third. Very small. Full radiotherapy marks. She did what she, for cancer? She was mean to his mother? "

Pierre did not know, but he played, somehow, my original anxiety about crab.

"You know, Peter, colon cancer, is what killed my father.

- How old was he?

- 54 years.

- Will you go have a colonoscopy?

- I just ... 38 years

- I had 43.

- ...

- You should go."
The key to cancer cure is stem cells?

The key to cancer cure is stem cells?

The key to cancer cure is stem cells?
Stem cells, which are processed in the lab, play a major role in the so-called personalized medicine. Whether skin cancer, lung cancer or leukemia: Each type of cancer developed their own stem cells that get the tumor alive and let it grow. Herein see great potential for medical drugs that might halt the scourge mankind cancer.

The real enemy at a cancer are the so-called stem cells. This has been increasingly evident in recent research. Not only did they emerge from the tumors. They also provide constantly looking for cancer cells and get an often life-threatening tumor alive. Moreover, can leave the tumor and penetrate the wall of blood vessels their direct descendants. With the blood they move to other body tissues and form metastases - the dreaded metastases - in which most patients die.

Stem cells are difficult to combat
To make matters worse cancer stem cells are relatively insensitive to chemotherapy or radiation. Therefore, it is very likely that they trigger the recurrence of tumors after an apparently successful treatment.

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"We are convinced that we can only defeat the cancer, if we manage to grab him at its root and destroy the cancer stem cells," says Otmar Wiestler, CEO of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). How this could be possible now discussed by some 400 experts at a international conference at the DKFZ in Heidelberg.

In the organism, stem cells have an important function: they bring constantly produces new cells. Many specialized cells, such as skin, mucosa or blood, have a lifespan of only a few days. Therefore, every day, millions must be supplied by them. This effect the so-called adult stem cells, also called tissue stem cells. They have the potential to develop into the type of tissue required in each case. In this process of differentiation is normal stem cells can transform by gene mutations in tumor stem cells.
The perfidious tricks of the tumor cells
A tumor has once formed, securing nunmehrigen cancer stem cells survive with a series of perfidious tricks. One of them is that they attach themselves to the so-called stem cell niche. There they are protected against attacks by the immune system. "The niche cells surrounding the cancer stem cells and support them in their fatal task. It is therefore absolutely necessary for therapeutic approaches these cells to keep in mind, "explains the molecular biologist Trumpp, who heads the Department of Stem Cells and Cancer at the DKFZ.

Cancer diagnosis - An individual therapy is critical now get a second opinion
With attacks on niche cells Trumpp will continue to help patients who are ill with "Myelodysplastic syndrome" (MDS). In the Leiden with the tongue-twisting name of preventing a defect in the blood stem cells that mature in the body functioning blood cells. The result is a general physical weakness, internal bleeding and severe infection. In approximately one third of cases, the MDS developed into acute myeloid leukemia, which is difficult to treat with today's means only.

To better understand the cause and progression of the disease, transferred Trumpp and his colleagues defective blood stem cells from MDS patients on mice. This was achieved, however, only after niche cells were transplanted with the same person. "The niche cells produce a number of protein factors that are necessary for the survival of hematopoietic stem cells," says Trumpp. "They thus represent a kind of micro-environment of stem cells."

Wicked cell strategy leads to leukemia
In it, the sick MDS stem cells ensure their survival with a treacherous strategy: You program the niche cells from healthy donors in a way, that these increases constitute growth factors. With their help turn the abnormal cells in the bone marrow can further proliferate. "The MDS-blood stem cells and their niche influence apparently mutually", the DKFZ researchers summarize. "Sick MDS stem cells and niche cells form a functional unit, the disease continues to advance drives as in a vicious circle." Now they want to try to block the growth factors that produce the reprogrammed niche cells in excess of drugs or antibodies. Thus, the progression of MDS to leukemia could go stop.
A story of Hope

A story of Hope

A story of Hope
According to Central Cancer Registry of Puerto Rico, cancer is the disease that causes the greatest number of premature deaths in the island, causing about 5,000 deaths each year. This means that everyone, at some point in our lives, we will be directly or indirectly touched by the disease, whether we have it ourselves or a family member, friend or acquaintance of ours is diagnosed. Whatever the case, it is important to know that there is hope despite the fear and physical and emotional instability that causes the disease. So then we present the short stories of several people who have experienced cancer from different perspectives. Know them!

ECMIN. Z Otero Padro. In 2013, Padro Otero was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she realized the ignorance that existed on the island for this type of cancer, the symptoms may go unnoticed or be confused with other health conditions. However, although at 32 he faced the shock when diagnosed with an aggressive cancer at an advanced stage, she imposed her strength and her desire to guide other women to recognize your body and know about ovarian cancer, making this goal a life mission.

During the course of treatment, ECMIN found that many people were unaware of the existence of this cancer and, more alarmingly, many women were unaware that ovarian cancer is not detected by the Pap test. Moreover, she considered very regrettable that ovarian cancer is not promoted as much as other types of cancer, although their statistics are not very encouraging. Many women have died trying to fight for their life, especially those who were not diagnosed in time.

From these experiences Whispers Ovarian Cancer, Inc., a nonprofit organization founded to raise awareness and promote education about ovarian cancer on the island, starting from the premise that the more women are educated and know this was born poor, more women will be diagnosed, increasing their chances of survival.

Today, ECMIN, who is supported by her husband, Miguel Hermidas, and her 10 year old son, Adrian, is struggling again with the disease and is in the second week of a hormonal treatment, to try to block receptors estrogen associated with your type of cancer. And, while acknowledging that this time has been a stronger experience, it is determined to fulfill its objectives of educating about ovarian cancer and the importance of not ignoring symptoms, sometimes confusing, which gives the disease.

For information on the foundation, write to susurroscancerovario@gmail.com or look them up on Facebook under the key: susurroscancerovario. You can also send your donations through Paypal to susurroscancerovario@gmail.com or postal address: Ovarian Cancer Whispers, Inc., PO Box 954, Canovanas PR 00729. Puerto Rico.