Q- What is benign prostatic hyperplasia?
Ans- Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a
condition that affects the prostate gland in men. The prostate is a gland found
between the bladder (where urine is stored) and the urethra (the tube urine
passes through). As men age, the prostate gland slowly grows bigger (or
enlarges). As the prostate gets bigger, it may press on the urethra and cause
the flow of urine to be slower and less forceful. "Benign" means the
enlargement isn't caused by cancer or infection. "Hyperplasia" means
enlargement.
Q- What are the symptoms of BPH?
Ans- Most symptoms of BPH start gradually. One
symptom is the need to get up more often at night to urinate. Another symptom
is the need to empty the bladder often during the day. Other symptoms include
difficulty in starting the urine flow and dribbling after urination ends. The
size and strength of the urine stream may decrease.
These symptoms can be caused by
other things besides BPH. They may be signs of more serious diseases, such as a
bladder infection or bladder cancer. Tell your doctor if you have any of these
symptoms, so he or she can decide which tests to use to find the possible cause.
Q- How will my doctor treat my BPH?
Ans- All enlarged prostates do not necessarily need
medical treatment.Options
include medicines & various forms of surgery.
Q- What are my chances of getting prostate cancer?
Ans- Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among
men and the second leading cause of annual cancer deaths, following lung
cancer. One in 10 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. More than 70
percent of all prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in men over the age of 65.
Black men are in the highest risk group and represent approximately 270 cases
per 100,000 men. In addition, prostate cancer has the strongest familial link
of all the major cancers.
Q- What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
Ans- Often, early stages of prostate cancer do not
cause any specific symptoms. But, in some cases, men with prostate cancer may
present with symptoms of prostate enlargement or those due to widespread
disease including blood in urine, bone pain etc:
1. A need to urinate frequently,
especially at night;
2. Difficulty starting urination or
holding back urine;
3. Weak or interrupted flow of urine;
4. Painful or burning urination;
5. Difficulty in having an erection;
6. Painful ejaculation;
7. Blood in urine or semen; or
8. Frequent pain or stiffness in the
lower back, hips, or upper thighs.
9. You should speak with your doctor
immediately if you have these symptoms or if you are over 50 and not had a
recent prostate cancer screening. If you have a family history of prostate
cancer, or are an African-American male, you should consider screening beginning
at age 45.
Q- What are the chances of survival?
Ans- Prostate cancer may be highly curable when
detected in its early stages. One in every seven men diagnosed with prostate
cancer will die from the disease. In advanced stages of the disease, new data
from two large clinical trials suggest chemotherapy extends survival among men
who have failed hormone therapy. Your physician can provide you with specific
guidance based on the facts and circumstances of your case.
Q- What type of doctor should i visit for prostate
cancer screening?
Ans- Screening for prostate cancer is a relatively
simple procedure. While others may begin with a visit to the urologist.
Urologist will be able to help you learn more about the screening process.
Q- What type of tests will the doctor perform?
Ans- The first analysis many physicians will perform
is a
1. PSA test. Prostate specific antigen
(PSA) is an enzyme produced in the prostate that is found in the seminal fluid
and the bloodstream. To measure the PSA level, a small vial of blood is drawn
and sent to a laboratory for evaluation. An elevated PSA level in the
bloodstream does not necessarily indicate prostate cancer, since PSA can also
be raised by infection or other prostate conditions. Many men with an elevated
PSA do not have prostate cancer.
2. The digital rectal exam (DRE) should
be performed along with the PSA test. The DRE is performed by a physician who
will insert a gloved finger into the rectum to feel the peripheral zone of the
prostate where most prostate cancers occur. The physician will be checking for
hardness of the prostate or for irregular shapes or bumps extending from the
prostate - all of which may indicate a problem. The DRE is particularly useful
because the PSA test may miss up to 25 percent of cancers, and the DRE may
catch some of these.
Q- How prostate cancer is typically treated?
Ans- The methods of prostate cancer are as
follows:
1. There are a variety of ways to treat
prostate cancer including
2. Surgery to remove the prostate in
its entirety, radiation therapy to kill the cancerous tissue in and around the
prostate,
3. Hormone deprivation therapy to stop
the production of hormones that help prostate cancer cells to grow,
4. Chemotherapy to stop the cancer
cells from dividing and multiplying,
5. Active surveillance and/or watchful
waiting where patients remains under strict follow up. One or more of these
treatment approaches may be used by your doctors at various times and stages of
the disease. There are a variety of factors that will be evaluated by your
physician to determine the best treatment approach.
Q- What if my prostate cancer progresses or comes
back after i receive initial therapy?
Ans- By measuring levels of a substance called
prostate-specific antigen in the blood, your physician can measure disease
progression. If you are receiving treatment for prostate cancer and your PSA
numbers keep rising, it may be a sign that your therapy isn't working and you may
need to consider a more aggressive treatment.
Most men whose cancer returns after
local treatment or are diagnosed with advanced disease are treated with hormone
therapy. However, at some point, hormone therapy may stop working and the PSA
levels will begin to rise again. At this point it is particularly important to
seek the advice of a medical oncologist who can work with the rest of your
healthcare team to determine the best treatment for you at this stage of the
disease.
Q- What new treatments are available for advanced
prostate cancer?
Ans- If prostate cancer is diagnosed at an advanced
stage or if the cancer returns after localized therapy such as surgery or
radiation, additional treatment with hormonal therapy is typically initiated.
Recently many additional hormonal
& new Chemotherapy options are now available.
Q- How is erectile dysfunction treated?
Ans- How erectile dysfunction is treated depends on
what things are causing it. After your doctor checks you for medical problems
and medicines that might cause erectile dysfunction, he or she may have you try
a medicine to help with erectile dysfunction. Some of these medicines are
injected into your penis. Other medicines are taken by mouth. Not everyone can
use these medicines. Your doctor will help you decide if you can try them.
Q- What other options do i have?
Ans- If the medicines aren't right for you, you could
also try using vacuum pump devices, or you could have surgery. Your doctor may
send you to an urologist to talk about these options.
Q- How do i know which treatment for impotency is
best suited for me?
Ans- The decision about treatment option should be
discussed with your physician. Your choice of treatment will depend on personal
preference and economic factors. Both you and your partner should be
comfortable with your choice.
Q- Is it necessary for my sexual partner to be
included in discussions on my impotence?
Ans- She helps the doctor understand the problem and
must agree with the treatment choice.
Q- Can any of these treatment options reverse
impotence?
Ans- Most impotence is irreversible. While none of
the three treatment options reverse a man’s impotence, they do offer a solution
to the problem.
Q- Hope through research
Ans- Advances in suppositories, inject able
medications, implants, and vacuum devices have expanded the options for men
seeking treatment for ED. These advances have also helped increase the number
of men seeking treatment. Gene therapy for ED is now being tested in several
centers and may offer a long-lasting therapeutic approach for ED.
The National Institute of Diabetes
and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) sponsors programs aimed at
understanding the causes of erectile dysfunction and finding treatments to
reverse its effects. NIDDK's Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic
Diseases supported the researchers who developed Viagra and continue to support
basic research into the mechanisms of erection and the diseases that impair
normal function at the cellular and molecular levels, including diabetes and
high blood pressure.
Q- Points to remember
1. Erectile
dysfunction (ED) is the repeated inability to get or keep an erection firm
enough for sexual intercourse.
2. ED affects
15 to 30 million American men.
3. ED usually
has a physical cause.
4. ED is
treatable at all ages.
Treatments
include psychotherapy, drug therapy, vacuum devices, and surgery.
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