Changes You Shouldnt Ignore
Early-stage prostate cancer rarely causes symptoms but as the disease progresses, you may experience certain warning signs. Knowing the signs of prostate cancer will help you keep an eye out for any concerning changes to your health.
Keep in mind, though, these symptoms dont indicate trouble with your prostate, Dr. Weight says. In fact, almost all of them come standard with aging. But if you experience several symptoms or have other concerns, it may be a good idea to visit a urologist.
Problems After Prostate Cancer Treatment
Many men get urinary problems as a side effect of their treatment. This is because prostate cancer treatment can damage the nerves and muscles that control when you urinate .
If youre starting treatment for prostate cancer, ask your doctor about the possible side effects. Each treatment can cause different urinary problems. Your chances of getting each side effect will depend on the treatment youre having, and on whether or not you had urinary problems before starting treatment.
If youve already had prostate cancer treatment and you have urinary problems, tell your doctor or nurse. They can suggest treatments and lifestyle changes to help manage them.
Depending on the type of problems youre having, ways to manage them can include lifestyle changes, pelvic floor muscle exercises, bladder retraining, medicines or surgery. For practical tips read our How to manage urinary problems guide.
Watch Pauls story below for one mans experience of managing urinary problems after prostate cancer treatment.
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Why Can Dogs Detect Prostate Cancer
Dogs can smell prostate cancer.
In fact, out of a bunch of urine samples, they can even distinguish aggressive prostate cancer from low-risk or intermediate cancer.
Earlier this year, in an international project funded by the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Johns Hopkins scientists and collaborators in the U.S. and UK published a study in PLOS One showing that medical detection dogs could discriminate with high accuracy between urine samples from men who have prostate cancer and men who dont.
Whats their secret? Nobody knows! But these investigators, including Alan Partin, M.D., Ph.D., The Jakurski Family Director and Professor, Karen Sfanos, Ph.D., M.S., and Bruce Trock, Ph.D., M.P.H., the Frank Hinman, Jr., Professor of Urology, are working to unravel the mystery of how the dogs do this and just what it is that they are smelling on the molecular level so their success can be replicated on a much larger scale.
A more sensitive and specific detection strategy for lethal prostate cancer beyond PSA screening is urgently needed, says Partin. Although its not practical to use dogs as diagnostic sensors, machine olfaction for cancer detection is testable.
What Exactly Are the Dogs Smelling?
It could be bacteria. Sfanos discovered several years ago that a basic medical assumption was just plain wrong: We had always been told that urine was sterile, she says. Its not. Her research revealed that urine has its own microbiome its own population of bacteria.
FOUND IN
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Are There Prostate Cancer Risk Factors To Consider
Cancer researchers have identified several factors that could increase a mans risk of developing prostate cancer. In considering whether any of these risk factors apply to you, remember that having one or more of them does not mean you will get the disease. However, you should be sure to get all the prostate cancer screenings your physician recommends. It is also important to know that men without these risk factors may also have prostate cancer.
Dogs Find Prostate Cancer By Smell
April 20, 2015 — Scientists in Italy say they have trained two dogs to âsniff outâ prostate cancer with more than 90% accuracy.
The researchers say using dogs to diagnose the disease could provide an alternative to the current blood test for prostate-specific antigen , which can give false results in men who do not have prostate cancer.
The team, led by the Humanitas Clinical and Research Center in Milan, Italy, collected urine samples from 362 men diagnosed with prostate cancer at different stages of the disease. They also took samples from 418 men and 122 women who were either healthy, had a different type of cancer, or had another health condition.
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Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer
Though early warning signs of prostate cancer are rare, sometimes men experience symptoms before they are diagnosed. The severity of symptoms may depend on where the cancer is located in the prostate and how advanced it has become. However, having any of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have prostate cancer or that the disease has progressed beyond its early stages.
New Research Into What Cancer Smells Like
Early detection of cancer has been proven to save lives and decrease suffering. For that reason, scientists and researchers are always looking for innovative, noninvasive ways to sleuth out cancer in its earliest stages.
Even though human noses cant smell it, research indicates that cancer emits a distinctive scent. The exact reason for this is not yet known. It is thought that cancers smell may be caused by elevated levels of bad-smelling molecules called polyamines, or by other cancer-specific volatile organic compounds.
Studies have found that dogs can be trained to sniff out certain types of cancer through urine, feces, breath, and tumorous tissue. Cancers that can be detected by canine noses include:
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Blocking Receptor With Drugs Or Scents Might Be New Prostate Cancer Treatment
- Date:
- Duke University
- Summary:
- Researchers have found that an olfactory receptor plays a critical role in the progression of prostate cancer. They found that activating the receptor — called OR51E2 — in prostate cancer cells caused the cancer to morph into the more aggressive, castration-resistant form of the disease. The finding suggests that taking the opposite approach — blocking the receptor with specific molecules, or perhaps even with specific scents — could provide a new way to treat prostate cancer.
When scientists first described the receptors responsible for our sense of smell, they naturally assumed that these chemical sensors resided exclusively in the lining of our noses.
But then olfactory receptors started turning up in the strangest places — the lungs, liver, skin, heart, testes and intestines. Nearly a quarter of a century later, researchers are still wondering what these receptors are doing in such disparate locations.
Duke researchers have shown in new research that one olfactory receptor plays a critical role in the progression of prostate cancer. They found that activating an olfactory receptor called OR51E2 in prostate cancer cells caused the cancer to morph into the more aggressive, ‘castration-resistant’ form of the disease.
The finding suggests that taking the opposite approach — blocking the receptor with specific molecules, or perhaps even with specific scents — could provide a new way to treat prostate cancer.
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What You Need To Know About The Prostate Can You Tast Smell In Your Body Prostate
A enlarged prostate can also cause blockages in the urethra. A blocked urethra can also damage the kidneys. A patient suffering from an enlargement of the prostate may have pain in his lower abdomen and genitals. If pain is present, a digital rectal examination will reveal hard areas. A doctor may prescribe surgery or perform an endoscopic procedure. If the enlarged prostate is not completely removed, it will shrink.
While the size of an enlarged prostate will influence the extent of urinary symptoms, men may experience a range of urinary symptoms. Some men have minimal or no symptoms at all. Some men will have a very enlarged prostate, whereas others will have a mild enlargement. Generally, the symptoms can stabilize over time. Some men may have an enlarged prostate but not notice it. If they have an enlarged colon, their physician can perform a TURP procedure.
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Surgical procedures to remove the diseased prostate are usually necessary. Surgical procedures are not always necessary. If the disease is caused by bacterial infections, a doctor can treat the symptoms using alpha-blockers or surgery. Physical therapy, relaxation exercises, and warm baths are all recommended. A physician may also prescribe antibiotics to cure the infection. A bacterial infection can also cause a recurrence of the condition.
An enlarged prostate can be uncomfortable for both men and women. Some of the symptoms of an enlarged male reproductive organ include a weakened urine stream, urgent need to urinate, and urinary tract infections. BPH can also cause damage to the kidneys. A sudden inability to urinate can be life-threatening, as it can lead to bladder and kidney damage. Unfortunately, most men with enlarged prostrates put up with the symptoms for years before they seek treatment. However, many of the men with symptoms finally decide to go to a doctor for proper gynecological evaluation and to begin enlarged prostatic therapy.
Management Of Urinary Problems By Prostate Cancer Patients
There are numerous treatment options for patients with prostate cancer, including expectant management or active surveillance, surgery, radiation therapy, cryosurgery , hormone therapy, chemotherapy, vaccine treatment, and bone-directed treatment. These are expected to ease the urinary symptoms, but there are other techniques that can help. Pelvic floor exercises, also known as Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic muscles, while patients are recommended to avoid drinking more than 2 qt daily, alcohol drinks, coffee, tea, or soda pop, or a lot of liquids in the evening.
Patients may also benefit from scheduling urination every three or four hours while awake even if they dont feel need to. In the cases of patients who are unable to fully empty their bladder, patients may try a technique of double voiding by relaxing for a while and urinating again. Discomfort may be reduced by making a clearer and quicker path to the bathroom, as well as by wearing clothes easier to remove like elastic waistbands or Velcro closures, and by keeping a urinal close to the bed. Other recommendations that may improve the patients health include quit smoking, and having a healthy diet and weight.
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What To Look For
Taste and smell changes can often affect your appetite. They might be described as:
- Not being able to smell things other people do, or noticing a reduced sense of smell.
- Noticing things smell different or certain smells are stronger
- Having a bitter or metallic taste in the mouth.
- Food tasting too salty or sweet.
- Food not having much taste.
Usually these changes go away after treatment ends, but sometimes they can last a long time.
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Urine Therapy: Is Drinking Your Own Pee Good For You
Urine therapy, or urotherapy, is a type of alternative medicine in which people use or ingest their own urine for medicinal purposes. But there is no scientific evidence that urine therapy provides medicinal value.
When you drink urine, you ingest all the waste that your kidneys have filtered out of your body. Therefore, drinking urine can make your urine more concentrated with waste, causing dehydration and kidney damage. So drinking your urine is generally not recommended as a survival technique.
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Signs Of Prostate Cancer Your Doctor Can Assess
Your doctor can tell a lot about your prostate by the way that it feels.
The back wall of your prostate is very close to your rectum. If your doctor inserts a finger into your rectum, he can feel the back and sides of your prostate through the thin, soft wall of the rectum. This examination of the prostate is called a digital rectal examination .
The DRE is used to detect possible signs of prostate illness:
- A DRE that finds a smooth, soft prostate but that causes intense pain is commonly a sign of prostate infection, also known as prostatitis.
- A DRE that finds a smooth, rubbery, and enlarged prostate is commonly a sign of prostate enlargement, also known as benign prostate hyperplasia.
- A DRE that finds hard nodules, generalized firmness, or an unusual shape to the prostate is commonly a sign of prostate cancer.
DRE can be used to raise suspicion of prostate cancer. DRE can not be used to rule out prostate cancer.
Many prostate cancers produce no physical signs that can be felt by DRE. In other words, a normal DRE is not a sign that there is no prostate cancer.
It is also well known that if different doctors carry out a DRE on the same patient , they may come to different decisions about what they think they feel.
Figure 1: How the DRE is carried out.
Content on this page last reviewed and updated April 5, 2008.
What Might Be Causing Foul
Your kidneys clean your blood of toxins and waste products by turning them into urine. Urine is comprised of toxins and compounds, such as urea, creatinine, salt, and uric acid.
If you drink lots of water, these substances are sufficiently diluted enough to not emit much of a smell. The more concentrated your urine is, the stronger its scent may be.
Other factors that can alter urines smell include certain health conditions, eating or drinking particular foods and liquids, and taking medications and supplements.
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Does Cancer Smell Can People Smell Cancer
If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with cancer, you probably have a million questions. Your head may be spinning with all the new words you hear and the treatment options you need to decide about. Even with all that going on, youre probably just as worried about how your day to day life might be affected.
Theres a lot of technical and medical issues to ask about, and some of them may seem too small or silly to ask. One question that newly diagnosed cancer patients often wonder about is Does cancer smell?
There are two reasons for asking this question. Patients and family members sometimes wonder if they could have found the cancer sooner by being more vigilant about odors. Patients are also concerned that their illness may make them smell bad or give off an unpleasant odor, offending people around them.
Rest assured that you are not alone in wondering about cancer smell. Your medical team has probably heard this question at least a hundred times or more. And while it may seem like a simple question, the answer is actually not quite so simple.
Your Gp Practice Nurse And District Nurse
Your GP, practice nurse, and district or community nurse will work with other health professionals to co-ordinate your care and offer you support and advice. They can also refer you to local services. They can visit you in your home and also help support your family. They might also care for you if you go into a nursing home or hospice.
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Our Powerful Sense Of Smell
Ive known since I was a kid that our noses pick up many scents. For years I have heard that older people have certain smells. Now I am one of those older people I wonder how I smell?
Its amazing a main function of the senses is smell.
Can your dog smell you? Yes, they can. I know a lot of us are saying, yeah right! But as humans, we do have sensitive smells just like animals. Dogs can sometimes smell cancer. Think about it for a minute: we have dogs that can track the scent of a person or sniff out drugs and explosives. That is so amazing. Just like other diseases, cancers have different odors in the body and your secretions that dogs can sniff out.2
His Dog Would Continue Licking His Ear
This case study goes back to 2013 when the pet of a 75-year-old Caucasian man was reportedly licking at a lesion right behind his ear. The patient had a history of significant sun exposure and had suffered from eczema as an adolescent. Later the doctor performed diagnostic tests on him and confirmed malignant melanoma.
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Another type of prostate issue is chronic prostatitis, or chronic pelvic pain syndrome. This condition causes pain in the lower back and groin area, and may cause urinary retention. Symptoms include leaking and discomfort. In severe cases, a catheter may be required to relieve the symptoms. If the problem is unresponsive to other treatments, your doctor may suggest a surgical procedure. If these do not work, your symptoms could progress and become chronic.
An acute bacterial infection can cause a burning sensation. Inflammation of the prostate can affect the bladder and result in discomfort and other symptoms. This is the most common urinary tract problem in men under 50, and the third most common in men over 65. The symptoms of acute bacterial prostatitis are similar to those of CPPS. Patients may experience a fever or chills as a result of the infection.
Testing Options For Prostate Cancer
There is no one age for prostate cancer testing, but the American Cancer Society makes recommendations about prostate cancer screenings. According to the ACS, patients in any of these groups should consider asking their doctor about testing:
- Men age 50 or older who have an average risk of prostate cancer and a life expectancy of at least 10 more years
- Men age 45 or older with a high risk, including African-American men and those with a first-degree relative who had prostate cancer before age 65
- Men age 40 or older who have a higher risk, such as more than one first-degree relative diagnosed with prostate cancer at an early age
Expert cancer care
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