Prostate Cancer Diagnostic Testing - What You Need to Know

Thanks to the commitment of many public figures, prostate cancer diagnostic testing is more widely understood today than ever before, but for many men it still remains an imposing idea.

Prostate cancer can be diagnosed through several methods, though the most common is a digital rectal examination. Though momentarily uncomfortable, this quick internal test performed by a doctor can lead to life-saving detection and treatment.

Several blood tests are used to confirm the presence of cancer, including the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and the prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) blood test. Ultrasonography is used to examine internal areas, and works simply when sound waves undetectable by human ears enter the body so that the echoes can create an image called a sonogram. The image is then printed or shown on a screen.

Doctors may also use other methods to determine the severity of the cancer. An intravenous pyelogram occurs when dye is introduced into the kidneys and urinary tract and then x-rays are taken to determine irregularities in the system.

To view the urinary tract and prostate internally, a cystoscopy involves inserting a small camera that is attached to a tube into the urethra. Biopsies are small cuttings or samplings from tissues, organs or tumors that are analyzed by pathologists. They can help doctors determine the most effective form of treatment.

Less invasive ultrasounds can help detect tumors, while urine tests can check for blood and infection. For those who suspect they may have prostate issues but may be wary of doctors, several at-home kits offer a safe and effective test for PSA levels, which may indicate the presence of cancer even if symptoms aren't apparent.

By Timothy Croy

5 Early Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

Some statistics indicate that the survival rate of prostate cancer can be as high as 98 percent if the disease is caught in its early stages. But, how can one go about ensuring their prostate cancer gets diagnosed in time? Even with regular prostate screenings, the tumors have to be big enough to be noticeable. Well, you might not be able to catch prostate cancer at Stage 1, but if you pay attention to your body and let your doctor aware of anything unusual during your check-ups, you increase your chances of catching it as it goes into Stage 2. To appropriately do this, you need to be aware of the 5 early symptoms of prostate cancer. They are explained in greater detail below.

Urinary Difficulties

The first symptoms of prostate cancer are urinary difficulties. You may be wondering why urinary difficulties in this list of prostate cancer symptoms if the bladder is not the prostate gland? It's simple; as the tumors grow they press up against the organ, which is still very close to the prostate. When this happens a man will experience incontinence, trouble urinating at all, (despite incontinence) and a very low urine flow.

The Presence of Blood

Symptom 2 s even more alarming than urinary incontinence. It involves the presence of blood in a man's urine and/or semen.

Erectile Dysfunction

Of the symptoms listed in the here, erectile dysfunction makes the most sense, since the prostate gland is a sexual organ. However, erectile dysfunction is such a common problem among older men, they may not even suspect prostate cancer. They may think they are experiencing a psychological problem, or perhaps that they just need a dose of Viagra. Either way, it's not worth the risk. If you are experiencing erectile dysfunction, discuss it with your doctor to make sure prostate cancer can be fully ruled out.

Swelling in the Legs

How can swelling in the legs be on the list of the 5 early symptoms of prostate cancer? It's because when the disease starts to metastasize, it will spread into the lymph nodes. As a consequence the unhealthy lymph nodes will start to accumulate in the legs, resulting in swelling.

Pelvic Discomfort

Pelvic discomfort is on the list of the symptoms of prostate cancer because when the disease affects the lymph nodes, it can cause them to press up against the nerves in the pelvis, resulting in pain.

In conclusion, pay attention to the list of the 5 early symptoms of prostate cancer. If you are experiencing any of them, discuss the situation with your doctor. If he or she suspects you have prostate cancer, they will perform a series of tests including a general rectal exam, an ultrasound and blood tests. Should a tumor be found, they perform a biopsy to determine if it is prostate cancer.

By Steven Pedersen

Common Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer

Nobody wants to suspect that they have pancreatic cancer. And the reasons should be obvious. With an official pancreatic cancer diagnosis, a person is basically given a death sentence since the prognosis of the disease is not very good. Yet, if a person is experiencing the common symptoms of pancreatic cancer, they should still get tested for the disease.

By knowing for sure whether or not they are suffering with it, they can get the treatment they need that will:

1) relieve some of the symptoms

2) give them some chance that they can live longer. But in order to get checked out they will need to know what the common symptoms of pancreatic cancer are. They are provided in greater detail below.

Stomach Pain that May Spread to Other Areas
Abdominal pain is one of the most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer. It occurs because the tumors press up against the organs and nerves in your abdominal cavity. Yet, despite this sometimes the pain will spread to other areas of your body as it travels through nerve pathways in the abdominal region. The middle and upper back is an example. As far as how often the pain occurs, it can be chronic or once in a while. So, don't necessarily expect that in order to have pancreatic cancer, you must be in pain all the time.

Appetite Changes
As the pancreatic tumors take over your abdominal region, they will deprive healthy cells of vital nutrients. They may also suppress the stomach slightly. As a result you may experience changes in appetite. This could lead to weight loss, since a loss of appetite would naturally mean you're not eating as much. Unfortunately, many people may not suspect weight loss as one of the common symptoms of pancreatic cancer, especially if they are actually trying to lose weight. But if they experience any of the other symptoms described in this article, it definitely could be due to that disease.

Severe Itching
Of the common symptoms of pancreatic cancer, severe itching is one of the most unusual. It is caused by excessive bile accumulating in the skin.

Jaundice
When it comes to the common symptoms of pancreatic cancer, jaundice is one of the most signature. This occurs due the body's inability to dispose of bilirubin, which is a byproduct produced by worn-out blood cells. When the body functions normally, bilirubin is disposed of in bile. However, when a person has pancreatic cancer, bile flow gets blocked by the tumors. This results in yellowing of the skin, which is characteristic of jaundice.

Digestive Troubles
When a person has pancreatic cancer, enzymes that would normally be produced by the pancreas get halted. This is a problem since these enzymes help ensure a healthier digestion. As a result a pancreatic cancer sufferer may encounter digestive problems, especially if the foods they are consuming are high in fat. Such difficulties will also lead to additional unexplained weight loss as well as malnutrition.

Nausea
More advanced stages of pancreatic cancer may result in blockage of the digestive tract which could result in nausea.

By Steven Pedersen

Some answers to colon cancer questions

What is colon cancer?

Cancer is a disease which can affect cells from all organs. The colon cancer affects the cells of the colon, determining them to proliferate in an uncontrollable way. This mass of abnormal cells will form a tumor inside the colon. The cancer of the intestine is quite frequent and two thirds of this type of cancer is situated in the colon.

Who can develop colon cancer?

You are at risk of developing colon cancer if you drink a lot of alcohol and you are obese. Also if other members of your family had colon cancer or breast cancer you could inherit some genes that make you more sensible to cancer. If you have polyps on your intestine and you leave them untreated for a long time, they can transform into malign polyps, meaning that cancer had occurred.

Is my diet involved in cancer development?

Following a diet which is rich in fats and proteins could expose you to cancer. If you eat a lot of fruit, vegetables and high fiber foods you can prevent colon cancer from occurring.

Does colon cancer come with any symptoms?

There are some symptoms which could announce that cancer is installing, but they also appear in other diseases. Some of the symptoms are: seeing blood in your bowels, alternation of diarrhea with constipation, and low abdominal pains.

How does the doctor know that I have cancer?

The doctor will perform a sigmoidoscopy or a colonoscopy to examine the insides of the colon. Also x-rays of the colon will be performed. These methods will see if tumors are present inside the colon. In order to stage colon cancer CT and ultrasound will be used.

Can colon cancer be treated?

Generally the most indicated procedure in trying to treat colon cancer is surgery. By surgery the doctors will remove the tumor from the colon. If the cancer spread, giving metastasis, the doctors will recommend you chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These are hard bearable due to their side effects like nausea, vomiting, loss of hair, fever, and tiredness.

Is the treatment effective or not?

If the colon cancer was diagnosed in its early stages and it has not spread to other organs the treatment will be 90% effective and patients will survive even five years after. If the cancer has given metastasis the treatment will not be so effective any more and half of the diagnosed patients will live less that five years.

by Groshan Fabiola