How Can You Be Screened for Prostate Cancer?

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How Can You Be Screened for Prostate Cancer?
January 25, 2024 by admin

The goal of performing screening tests for prostate cancer is not only to identify cancer but also to detect them early so that treatment becomes more effective. A malignant tumour in your prostate gland is referred to as prostate cancer. Elderly men (above 75 years of age) are often diagnosed with prostate cancer. Screening tests are available to detect prostate cancer, but it is generally not detected early. This is because prostate cancer is commonly asymptomatic. In most men, the symptoms are caused by benign prostatic enlargement or infection. It is, therefore, highly recommended that you consult with one of the best oncologists in Chennai to find out at what frequency you should undergo prostate cancer screening tests.

Prostate Cancer Symptoms

The symptoms of prostate cancer differ from one individual to another. Furthermore, for some men, there may not be any symptoms. However, the most common symptoms in prostate cancer are:

  • Difficulty to urinate
  • Interrupted or weak urine flow
  • Frequent urination, especially at night
  • Trouble emptying your bladder completely
  • Burning sensation or pain during urination
  • Blood in the semen or urine
  • Persistent pain in the hips, back, or pelvis
  • Painful ejaculation

Suppose you have any of these symptoms and you visit an oncologist. In that case, your doctor might perform a digital rectal examination and order a test to determine your blood levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). If the blood test report shows abnormal levels of PSA, your doctor may ask you to undergo a transrectal ultrasound and biopsy.

Candidates For Prostate Cancer Screening

A prostate cancer screening test is highly recommended for men:

  • Aged 50 to 69 years who are at risk of developing the disease
  • Over 45 years of age and having a higher risk of developing prostate cancer because of their race (African-American) or having a father, son, or brother who has been diagnosed with the condition before age 65
  • Those over 40 years of age have many first-degree family members diagnosed with the condition. This is by far the highest-risk group for men.

Rectal examination detects approximately 20% of prostate cancers. However, diagnosis in most cases is through a PSA test. It is recommended that you undergo prostate cancer screening testing annually. Men with low initial PSA levels may consider getting screened once every two years.

When it comes to curing prostate cancer, the earlier the detection, the more chances are a patient will remain disease-free for a longer period. Nearly 90% of prostate cancers are detected when they are in the local or regional stages. After five years, approximately 100 per cent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the local or regional stage will be free of the disease. However, the most crucial aspect is that you consult with one of the best oncologists in Chennai at a top cancer treatment hospital.

Prostate Cancer Treatment

Many different treatment options are available for men suffering from prostate cancer. They include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. Your doctor may recommend any one or a combination of therapies at different times based on the stage you are in and your health condition.

Cancer treatment has an impact on your sexual life. You can experience erectile dysfunction following radical prostatectomy. Your sex drive may decline if you undergo hormone therapy. Feelings of fatigue and depression can also negatively impact your sexual life.

There are some side effects associated with chemotherapy. They include:

  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Fatigue
  • Mouth sores
  • Anaemia
  • Dizziness
  • Hair loss
  • Loss of appetite

Temporary side effects such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and hair loss often disappear once the treatment is completed.

Many men are concerned about the erectile dysfunction they may experience following prostate cancer treatment. However, you need to keep in mind that the erectile dysfunction caused by radical prostatectomy depends on your age, nerve-sparing status, condition before surgery, and the ability of the surgeon to carry out a nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy. Erectile function often continues to improve for up to three-and-a-half years after the surgery. Most men get back their potency during the first 12 to 18 months.

Though there will not be a drastic change in your lifestyle, some alterations may be helpful in keeping the condition at bay. However, your ability to do certain things might vary with the stage of cancer you are at and the kind of treatment you are undergoing. If diagnosed early, the limitations are usually few.

If you have been advised to have surgery, the recovery period varies depending on the type of surgery performed. If you undergo minimally invasive surgery at the best laparoscopy hospital in Chennai, your recovery will be faster.

Sugam Hospital

In Chennai, Sugam Hospital is one of the leading healthcare facilities for cancer treatment. Sugam provides comprehensive cancer care with the support of an experienced team of specialists, including surgical and medical oncologists and radiologists. They work together to provide the best line of treatment. Counselling and additional support are provided as part of the holistic treatment offered at Sugam.

The oncology department at Sugam provides conventional and high-dose chemotherapy, surgery, haemato-oncology, palliative care, preventive oncology/cancer screening, and paediatric oncology. MRI, CT scanning, mammography, and histopathology are also available as diagnostic services. Besides that, we have one of the top diagnostic labs in Chennai.