What are the symptoms of prostate cancer allow a diagnosis?

Prostate cancer becomes increasingly common disease among the male half of the population around the globe. Mortality from this disease is constantly increasing.

The causative factors of prostate cancer

Causes of prostate cancer is not completely established. This is what hinders effective treatment, because if there is no reason, no and its consequences. However, it is customary to distinguish a number of predisposing factors that increase the likelihood of developing prostate cancer. But not always when they are presence of developing this cancer.

These factors include:

• a certain age, with a magnification which increases the peak incidence;
• belonging to a particular race;
• burdened heredity.

To a lesser extent on the development of prostate cancer is influenced by the following factors:

• violation of hormonal regulation;
• commitment to certain foods, which has a negative effect on prostate tissue;
• sexual abstinence for a long time;
• sexual promiscuity;
• negatively influencing factors of the environment.

Clinical classification

Clinical classification of prostate cancer based on the staging systems, allows to make an approximate prognosis for the patient. The following regularity is observed: the lower the stage of the cancer process, the better the survival rate, that is, the better the prognosis.

The first stage of prostate cancer is characterized by the following features:

• the primary tumor affects not more than 5% of the healthy tissue;
• metastases and regional lymph node no.

The second stage is also characterized by the absence of metastatic lesions and no increase in regional lymph nodes. However, at this stage, the tumor size is much larger than the tumor in the first stage. The tumor extends beyond the capsule of the thyroid gland.

In the third stage is also determined only by the primary tumor of considerable size, which extends beyond the capsule of the prostate gland, or a tumor that involves the cancer is located near organs and tissues. No metastases, no increase in regional lymph nodes.

The fourth stage is launched cancer, which is characterized by any size of the primary tumor. The main symptom of this stage is the presence of or increase in regional lymph nodes, or metastases. As a rule, five-year survival rate of patients with this stage of prostate cancer is very low. Identifying, at this stage of the cancer process should be considered as delayed diagnosis that reduces the chances of recovery.

The main clinical manifestations

Symptoms of prostate cancer in its initial stages, as a rule, are absent. If cancer not spread outside the prostate, it is manifested symptoms of compression of adjacent organs, that is caused by enlargement of the prostate. They include the following manifestations:

• urination becomes more frequent;
• as a rule, pain is absent (differential-diagnostic sign in relation to cystitis, which urination becomes frequent and painful);
• difficult urination so urine flow may become sluggish;
• appear about the urge to urination, the latter is not possible;
• night urine output increases dramatically (normally, the number of night urination should be no more than 1-2).

Characterized by the following pattern: thethe high prevalence of cancer of the prostate, the more diverse is the clinical symptoms of the cancer process. The severity of each symptom present becomes more significant.

If prostate cancer is a common, obstructive manifestations are becoming more znachitelnym. This is due to the fairly large size of the tumor, which is involved in the process as the urinary tract, and the prostate. In the case where there is a germination of tumors in the bladder, appear the following symptoms:

• hematuria, that is, the admixture of red blood cells in urine (macrohematuria visible to the eye as the urine becomes red, and microhematuria determined microscopically);
• urinary incontinence, which increases during exercise.

Severe obstruction of ureters can lead to kidney failure due to compression of the renal parenchyma. The failure of that body is determined by the intoxication products of nitrogen metabolism, pruritus, edema, etc.

Cancer with the prostate can spread to the muscles of the perineum, which is clinically manifested:

• the feeling of discomfort while sitting;
• pain in this area that can be enhanced by various mechanical effects.

It should be remembered that malignant lesions of the prostate always sooner or later leads to a violation of erectile function. Gradually developing impotence, which significantly reduces the patient's quality of life.

About metastatic lymph nodes of the pelvis is indicated by the following acceding symptoms:

• swelling of the external genitalia, which is especially pronounced in the scrotum;
• swelling of the lower extremities, which persists after prolonged horizontal position.

In addition to local symptoms of metastases leads to General intoxication symptoms. They are associated with tumor disintegration, formation of biologically active substances and other factors. These symptoms are:

• severe General weakness, which cannot be explained by any other causal factors;
• man can not perform a normal operation without significant violations of the General condition;
• a significant reduction in body mass over a short time period;
• the reduction of hemoglobin with the consequences – weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath, etc.;
• bone pain, especially in the pelvic bones;
• the neurological manifestations, when involved in a pathological process spine.

Diagnostic search

Diagnosis of prostate cancer should not be based only on evaluation of clinical signs, as the clinic always appears in the later stages. Therefore, it is necessary to use methods of diagnosis that allow to identify malignant lesions of the prostate gland at an early stage, when prognosis is most favorable.

Often uses the following additional diagnostic tests:

• digital rectal examination, which allows to detect the increase in size of the prostate gland, to assess its consistency, the involvement in the pathological process of nearby organs;
• determining the level of prostate-specific antigen, which is usually regarded as a cancer marker of cancer of this localization, especially at the earliest stage;
• ultrasound examination of the prostate.

Determination of prostate-specific antigen in the blood has made a revolutionary breakthrough in early preclinical diagnosis of prostate cancer. This has saved thousands of lives. Measurement of the cancer marker is recommended for thosepatients who are high-risk. This group should include the following people:

• having a family history;
• which determines the enlargement of the prostate gland;
• who have clinical signs suspicious malignant lesions of the prostate.

In conclusion, it should be noted that prostate cancer is a disease that has characteristic clinical manifestations. Therefore, a very large value in early diagnosis is given to additional methods of research that you want to apply as early as possible if the patient is classified in a group at high oncological risk.