The prostate gland regulates hormone production and urine flow in men. But its primary function is to produce seminal fluid for semen. It is a small walnut-shaped gland located near the bladder. Cancer that starts in the prostate and spreads to the bones or seminal vesicles is known as prostate cancer. Apart from cancer, the other prostate diseases are Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), where the prostate enlarges, and Prostatitis, where the prostate gets inflamed.

Signs and symptoms of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is slow-growing and may not show symptoms in the initial stages. Many symptoms of the above-mentioned common diseases of prostate conditions overlap, and men tend to ignore them unless the symptoms interfere with their daily lives. Doctors often detect prostate cancer during routine health examinations or when older men seek help for aggressive symptoms. Common symptoms of prostate cancer that men should watch out for are:

• Pain or burning sensation during urination
• Weak or disrupted urination
• Frequent urination
• Bloody urination
• Inability to empty the bladder completely
• Dull and continuous pain in the lower pelvis, lower back, hips, and in your bones
• Loss of appetite
• Erectile dysfunction

Treatment of prostate cancer

Active surveillance and watchful waiting
Doctors may use two widely accepted methodologies before deciding on the next steps of treatment. They use active surveillance and watchful waiting techniques, particularly for older men, who may have less life expectancy. If they feel cancer may not cause immediate danger to the patient, they monitor the patient periodically with blood tests and imaging tests. They start treatment only if they observe that the cancer is growing or if the symptoms worsen.

If the doctors think that the cancer is spreading quickly or if the cancer is diagnosed only at the advanced stages, they would treat a patient with the following procedures:

Prostatectomy
Prostatectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the prostate and the surrounding tissues to ensure that cancer does not return.

Cryotherapy
Doctors insert special metal probes into the prostate and send a gas that causes the prostate tissue to freeze, killing the cancer cells. Doctors use this procedure to treat early-stage prostate cancer.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses one or a combination of oral or intravenous pharmacological therapies that kill or shrink cancer cells. This treatment option is also used before surgery to shrink cancer cells or post-surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells in the surrounding tissues.

Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy commonly treats all cancers by sending high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. It is used for low-grade prostate cancer that is less likely to spread to other body parts. It is also used with hormone therapy if cancer has spread to tissues close to the prostate gland. Doctors also recommend radiation if other treatments have not killed all the cancer cells or if cancer reoccurs a few years after treatment.

Hormone therapy
A few male hormones or androgens like testosterone and dihydrotestosterone can fuel the growth of prostate cancer cells. Hormone therapy can reduce or stop androgen production, shrink cancer cells, or delay their growth. It is never used as a stand-alone treatment option and is used before or after surgery or radiation therapy.

Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy uses techniques like vaccinations to stimulate a person’s immune system to destroy cancer cells. Doctors use immunotherapy if other treatments are not successful. The vaccine is custom-made by combining a patient’s white blood cells and proteins from the cancer cells. Though it does not cure prostate cancer, it can increase the life expectancy of a survivor.

Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy uses oral pharmacology therapies that a patient takes twice a day. The treatment attacks only the cancer cells without damaging nearby cells and tissues.