Sunday, March 17, 2024

What Does A Cancerous Prostate Look Like

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Biopsy And Gleason Score

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A pathologist looks for cell abnormalities and “grades” the tissue sample from 1 to 5. The sum of two Gleason grades is the Gleason score. These scores help determine the chances of the cancer spreading. Gleason grades of 1 and 2 are not usually given in biopsies, so 6 is typically the lowest score for a prostate cancer. Cancer with Gleason scores of 8 to 10 is called high-grade, and can grow and spread more quickly.Â;Gleason scores helpÂ;guide the type of treatment your doctor will recommend.

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Soreness In The Groin

When prostate cancer spreads, its common for cancer cells to go to your lymph nodes and then move to more areas of your body. The lymph nodes are a network of glands that help your body filter fluids and fight infections.

There are several lymph nodes in your groin. These are the ones closest to your prostate, so its common for the cancer to spread to them first. Cancer cells prevent your lymph nodes from draining fluid and working properly. When this happens, your lymph nodes swell. As a result, you might experience pain or soreness in the area.

Transrectal Ultrasound Guided Prostate Biopsy

A transrectal ultrasound creates an image of organs in the patients pelvis. It is typically used to evaluate the prostate gland in men with elevated prostate specific antigen , or as further exploration when the Urologist detects prostatic nodules by digital rectal exam. The ultrasound images may reveal prostate cancer, benign enlarged prostate or prostatitis. Ultrasound can also help guide a biopsy of the prostate.

A transrectal ultrasound is typically performed in an outpatient setting. The Urologist will collect between six to twelve tissue samples with a small needle. While patients often report physical discomfort , the procedure usually only lasts about a half hour.

Following the procedure, complications include blood in the urine for several days, some bleeding in the stool for a few days, and blood in the ejaculate for a few weeks.

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Symptom: Frequent Need To Urinate

Do you have to pee more often these days? Especially at night, when you’re trying to sleep? Thatâs a common symptom of BPH. It happens when the growing prostate presses on the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of your body. The bladder has to contract more strongly to get urine out. As a result, the bladder may start to contract even when it only contains a little urine, which makes you get the urge to go more often.

Side View Of The Prostate

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The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located between the bladder and the penis. The prostate is just in front of the rectum. The urethra runs through the center of the prostate, from the bladder to the penis, letting urine flow out of the body.

The prostate secretes fluid that nourishes and protects sperm. During ejaculation, the prostate squeezes this fluid into the urethra, and itâs expelled with sperm as semen.

The vasa deferentia bring sperm from the testes to the seminal vesicles. The seminal vesicles contribute fluid to semen during ejaculation.

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What Does Prostate Cancer Look Like And Which Are The Alarming Symptoms Of Having One

Learn what does prostate cancer look like and see which the symptoms that alarm you have one are. Men older than 40 years should know this!

Just as women have to face some types of cancer, men must face or prevent prostate cancer. The worst of all is that their symptoms usually do not appear in the first stage.

This is somewhat complicated for your treatment, since it would be easier to treat if it is detected in its early state. This way, it will increase your chance for survival. That is why men must perform preventive check-ups to rule out any type of problem.

But, prostate cancer shows several symptoms that you cannot ignore. See what does prostate cancer look like really and how to recognize the symptoms the sooner the better!

What Is An Enlarged Prostate

An enlarged prostate occurs when men’s prostate gland slowly grows bigger as they age. More than half of men over age 60 have this condition, also called benign prostatic hyperplasia . Some men have symptoms and others don’t. The exact causes are unknown, but one thing is sure: BPH is not cancer and it does not lead to cancer. The prostate sits below the bladder and produces fluid for semen.

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What Happens After The Procedure

The doctor will send the biopsy to a lab for analysis. Theyâll discuss the results with you when theyâre ready, which is usually within a week. Meanwhile:

  • You can go back to your normal meals and activities.
  • Do NOT take aspirin, products with aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil, Motrin, or Naprosyn, or indomethacin for at least 3 days after the procedure.
  • Drink six to eight glasses of water every day for 3 days after the test to help flush your urinary system.
  • You may notice a small amount of blood in your urine, semen, or stool up to 7 days afterward. This is normal.
  • If your rear end is sore, soak in a warm bath for 20 minutes.
  • Take your antibiotics until all the pills are gone. If you miss a dose, take it when you remember and then go back to your regular schedule.

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The Top 7 Signs Of Advanced Prostate Cancer

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In the early stages, you may not notice any symptoms related to prostate cancer. This is why screenings are important. Symptoms can sometimes be noticed for the first time when the cancer advances.

Advanced prostate cancer, also called metastatic cancer, means the cancer has spread to other areas of your body beyond your prostate gland. The most common areas for prostate cancer to spread are your bladder, rectum, and bones. It can also spread to your lymph nodes, liver, lungs, and other body tissues.

Whether youve just been diagnosed or youre in treatment, its also important to know the signs of advanced cancer. Cancer can behave differently depending on your genetics, so not every person will experience the same symptoms in the same way.

Read on to learn more about the seven top symptoms of advanced prostate cancer and how to spot them.

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What Happens After A Prostate Ultrasound

Once the test is done, you can take off the gown and put your clothes back on. Your rectum may feel tender for a few days, but you wont need to follow any specific aftercare instructions. Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic to prevent infection.

In some cases, your doctor or technician may ask you to wait in the facility until your results are available. Youll usually need to wait a few days for a radiologist to look at the images and diagnose any conditions, however. Depending on where the test was done, you may wait up to two weeks for results.

Your doctor will schedule a follow-up appointment to discuss your test results. If you have any abnormalities or conditions that are visible on the images, your doctor will point out these areas. Excess tissue, prostate enlargement, or cancerous tumors will appear on the ultrasound images as bright white areas that represent the dense tissue.

What Is A Prostate/rectal Ultrasound

A prostate or rectal ultrasound is an imaging test that uses sound waves tolook at your prostate or your rectum.

The healthcare provider uses a small probe called a transducer to make theimages of your prostate or rectum. The transducer is about the size of afinger. It is gently placed into your rectum, where it sends out soundwaves that bounce off your organs and other structures. The sound waves aretoo high-pitched for you to hear. The transducer then picks up the bouncedsound waves. These are made into pictures of your organs.

Your provider can add another device called a Doppler probe to thetransducer. This probe lets your provider hear the sound waves thetransducer sends out. He or she can hear how fast blood is flowing througha blood vessel and in which direction it is flowing. No sound or a faintsound may mean that you have a blockage in the flow.

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Preparing For Your Trus Biopsy

You have the biopsy in the outpatient department.

Your nurse will ask you to sign a consent form once they have given you information about the procedure.

You cant have a TRUS biopsy if you have a urine infection. Some hospitals might get you to do a test before you have the procedure. Or just check with you that theres no pain when you wee.;

You take;antibiotics;to;stop infection developing after the biopsy. You have a dose of antibiotics before the biopsy, and then;for;a couple of days afterwards.

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Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer

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Once a tumor causes your prostate gland to swell, or once cancer spreads beyond your prostate, you may have symptoms including:

  • The need to pee often, especially at night
  • Trouble starting or stopping a stream of urine
  • A weak stream or one that starts and stops
  • Leaking pee when you laugh or cough
  • Not being able to pee standing up
  • Pain or burning when you pee
  • Pain or burning when you ejaculate
  • Less fluid when you ejaculate
  • Blood in your pee or semen
  • Pressure or pain in your rectum
  • Pain or stiffness in your lower back, hips, pelvis, or thighs
  • New trouble getting an erection

These arenât symptoms of the cancer itself. They happen because the cancer growth is blocking your prostate.

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Gleason Score Vs Grade Groups

The International Society of Urological Pathology released a revised prostate cancer grading system in 2014. The grade group system seeks to simplify Gleason scores and give a more accurate diagnosis.

One of the major problems with the Gleason score is that some scores can be made up in different ways. For example, a score of 7 can mean:

  • 3 + 4. The 3 pattern is the most common in the biopsy and 4 is the second most common. This pattern is considered favorable intermediate risk.
  • 4 + 3. The 4 pattern is the most common in the biopsy and 3 is the second most common. This pattern is considered unfavorable and may mean local or metastatic spread.

So, although both situations give a Gleason score of 7, they actually have very different prognoses.

Heres an overview of how the two grading systems compare:

Cancer grade
grade group 5 910

Not all hospitals have switched to the grade group system. Many hospitals give both grade group and Gleason scores to avoid confusion until grade groups become more widely used.

How Will Your Doctor Diagnose Bph

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and may do these tests:

  • A digital rectal exam to check for prostate enlargement or irregularities
  • Lab tests of urine and blood
  • An ultrasound scan and a prostate biopsy if concerned about cancer
  • A urine flow study to measure the strength of your urine stream in some men
  • A cytoscopy, in which a thin tube inserted through the penis allows the doctor to view and evaluate the urethra and the bladder

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Risk Factors You Can Control

Diet seems to play a role in the development of prostate cancer, which is much more common in countries where meat and high-fat dairy are mainstays. The reason for this link is unclear. Dietary fat, particularly animal fat from red meat, may boost male hormone levels. And this may fuel the growth of cancerous prostate cells. A diet too low in fruits and vegetables may also play a role.

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When Does Bph Need To Be Treated

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Whether you need to treat BPH depends on your symptoms. If your symptoms are not severe, you probably won’t need treatment. But difficulty urinating, recurring infections, kidney damage, or a leaky bladder can really impact your quality of life. In these cases, medications or sometimes surgery will help.

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How Does The Doctor Know I Have Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer tends to grow slowly over many years. Most men with early prostate cancer dont have changes that they notice. Signs of prostate cancer most often show up later, as the cancer grows.

Some signs of prostate cancer are trouble peeing, blood in the pee , trouble getting an erection, and pain in the back, hips, ribs, or other bones.

If signs are pointing to prostate cancer, tests will be done. Most men will not need all of them, but here are some of the tests you may need:

PSA blood test:;PSA is a protein thats made by the prostate gland and can be found in the blood. Prostate cancer can make PSA levels go up. Blood tests will be done to see what your PSA level is and how it changes over time.

Transrectal ultrasound :;For this test, a small wand is put into your rectum. It gives off sound waves and picks up the echoes as they bounce off the prostate gland. The echoes are made into a picture on a computer screen.

MRI:;This test uses radio waves and strong magnets to make detailed pictures of the body. MRI scans can be used to look at the prostate and can show if the cancer has spread outside the prostate to nearby organs.

Prostate biopsy:;For a prostate biopsy, the doctor uses a long, hollow needle to take out small pieces of the prostate where the cancer might be. This is often done while using TRUS or MRI to look at the prostate. The prostate pieces are then checked for cancer cells. Ask the doctor what kind of biopsy you need and how its done.

Intermittent And Harmonic Ultrasonography

The rationale for intermittent and harmonic ultrasonography is that conventional ultrasonography destroys the microbubbles of the contrast agents used in ultrasonographic imaging. Intermittent ultrasonography increases the enhancement provided by the contrast agents. In harmonic imaging, the reverberations produced by the contrast agent are visualized at a different frequency than the insonating frequency, which can provide a better image.

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Is Bluelaser 3t Mpmri Right For You

Knowledge is power only if man knows what facts not to bother with. -R.S. Lynd

Our BlueLaser 3T mpMRI empowers our patients by providing accurate knowledge about whats going on in their bodies, both normal and disease. You should consider BlueLaser 3T mpMRI for the earliest possible detection if:

  • You have an elevated or rising PSA
  • You have an abnormal DRE
  • You were treated for a prostate infection or inflammation but your PSA is still high
  • You are on Active Surveillance
  • You are in a high-risk category to develop prostate cancer
  • You have not had a PSA test but you have unusual urinary symptoms

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Risk Factors You Can’t Control

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Growing older is the greatest risk factor for prostate cancer, particularly after age 50. After age 70, studies suggest that anywhere from 31% to 83%Â;of men have some form of prostate cancer, though there may be no outward symptoms. Family history increases a man’s risk: having a father or brother with prostate cancer more than doubles the risk. African-American men and Caribbean men of African descentÂ;are at high risk and have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world.

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How Prostate Cancer Is Diagnosed And Staged

Cancer staging helps you and your doctor understand how advanced your cancer is and how much it has spread at the time of diagnosis. Knowing your cancer stage also helps your doctor determine the best treatment options for you and estimate your chance of survival.

The most widely used staging system for cancer is the American Joint Committee on Cancers TNM system that classifies cancer from stage 1 to stage 4.

TNM stands for:

  • Tumor: the size and extent of the tumor
  • Nodes: the number or extent of nearby lymph node involvement
  • Metastasis: whether cancer has spread to distant sites in the body

The TNM scale is used for many types of cancer. When a doctor uses it to determine your prostate cancer stage, theyll consider several other factors as well, including:

  • grade groups

Coping With Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction is a common side effect of prostate cancer treatments. Generally, erectile function improves within two years after surgery. Improvement may be better for younger men than for those over age 70. You also may benefit from ED medications. Other treatments, such as injection therapy and vacuum devices, may help.

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Treatment: Less Invasive Procedures

When medication doesn’t do the job, a number of procedures can remove excess tissue from the prostate, easing obstruction of the urethra. These outpatient procedures are less invasive than surgery and may take no more than an hour. One of them, known as transurethral microwave therapy ,Â;may require temporary use of a catheter after treatment. Other procedures include the use of laser.

Ruling Out Prostate Cancer

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Symptoms of BPH can be scary because some of them are the same as those for prostate cancer. But an enlarged prostate is much more common than prostate cancer. And if you have BPH, you are no more likely than other men to develop prostate cancer. Because the two conditions share some symptoms and can occur at the same time, however, your doctor will need to evaluate you.

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