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Prostate Cancer
The prostate is a gland that is about the size of a walnut and surrounds part of the urethra, which empties urine from the bladder; it produces fluid that makes up part of the semen. Prostate cancer is found mainly in older men. As men age, the prostate may get bigger and block the urethra or bladder. This may cause difficulty in urination or can interfere with sexual function.
This condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH, and although it is not cancer, surgery may be needed to correct it. The symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia or of other problems, such as inflammation, in the prostate may be similar to symptoms for prostate cancer.
Signs of BPH and prostate cancer may include a weak flow of urine or frequent urination.
These and other symptoms may be caused by prostate cancer or by other conditions and a physician should be consulted if any of the following problems occur: weak or interrupted flow of urine, frequent urination, especially at night, difficulty urinating, pain or burning during urination, blood in the urine or semen, nagging pain in the back, hips, or pelvis, painful ejaculation.
Your family physician or a urologist may order the following tests that examine the prostate and blood; they are used to find and diagnose prostate cancer:
Digital rectal examination: the doctor introduces a lubricated gloved finger into the rectum and feels the prostate through the rectal wall for lumps or abnormal areas.
Prostate-specific antigen [PSA] test: a laboratory test that measures the levels of PSA in a blood sample. PSA is a substance produced by the prostate that may be found in an increased amount in the blood of men who have prostate cancer. PSA levels may also be high in men who have an infection or inflammation of the prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia... [continued]
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Ovarian Cancer
Located deep in the pelvis, one at each side of the uterus, the ovaries are a pair of organs in the female reproductive system. Each ovary is about the size and shape of an almond; they produce eggs and female hormones, estrogen and progesterone.
There are several types of ovarian cancers: 'epithelial' cancer, which develops from the tissues covering the ovaries, 'germ' cell cancer, affecting mostly teenage and young women, developing from reproductive cells. It usually affects only one ovary. There are other types of tumors, affecting tissues that provide support to these organs, and also, although rare, from vascular structures.
Women who have a family history of ovarian cancer are at an increased risk of developing the disease, particularly if close relatives suffered from it. The risk is higher if one, or more, first-degree relatives are affected.
Ovarian cancer affects approximately 25,000 women a year in the US; ten percent of patients are younger than thirty-five, while the peak age is between fifty five and sixty.
Most diagnoses are made on Caucasian women, a rate fifty percent higher than all other ethnic groups. It is also estimated that approximately five to ten percent of women would be diagnosed with this disease in their lifetime.
Most ovarian cancers in adult women, eighty-five percent, are 'epithelial', while the 'germ cell' type is found mostly on young women... [continued]
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Colon Cancer
Colon cancer is a disease in which cancerous [malignant] cells form in the tissues of the colon, which is the lower part of our digestive system, commonly referred to as the GI [gastrointestinal] system. This system removes and processes nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, from foods and helps pass waste material out of the body.
Our digestive system is made up of the esophagus, stomach, and the small and large intestines. The first six feet of the large intestine are called the large bowel or colon; the last six inches are the rectum and the anal canal, which ends at the anus.
Our age and health history can affect the risk of developing cancer of the colon. There are multiple risk factors that may contribute to the development of this malignant disease. These factors are: age fifty or older, family or personal history of cancer of the digestive system, as well as of ovaries, uterus or breasts, plus ulcerative colitis, the presence of polyps, Crohn's disease.
Symptoms and signs that may accompany intestinal cancer are a change in bowel habits, blood [bright red blood or very dark] in the stools, diarrhea, constipation, feeling that the bowel does not empty completely, etc.
Also, stools that are narrower than usual, frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness or cramps.
Weight loss for no known reason, feeling very tired, vomiting and other gastrointestinal symptoms may go together with advanced stages of this disease... [continued]
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