The most common cancer in men is usually asymptomatic

What is prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is a disease that involves the development of malignant tumor cells inside the prostate gland. It is a disease with a high incidence:

  • 2nd most frequent type of cancer globally.
  • The most common cancer in men (it usually affects men over the age of 50, although in some cases it may appear at an earlier age).

What causes prostate cancer?

The causes of prostate cancer are not fully defined, although it is known that genetic, hormonal and environmental factors are involved.

Patients who have one or more first-degree relatives (father/siblings) with prostate cancer are at increased risk for prostate cancer as well. Certain genes such as BRCA – also implicated in breast cancer – have been examined as increasing the risk of more aggressive variants of prostate cancer.

Androgens and estrogens play a relevant role in the development of prostate cancer, as well as in its treatment.

Among the environmental factors: diet, obesity, smoking or situations predisposing to prostatic inflammation are implicated to some degree in the development of prostate cancer according to different studies, although their specific role is difficult to determine.

Symptoms of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is mostly asymptomatic. It is usually diagnosed after a routine analytical study in which an elevation of PSA above the normal limit is detected and/or after a rectal examination in which a suspicious area is palpated. Symptoms arising from prostate cancer usually do not appear until the disease is in an advanced stage. These may include:

  • Weight loss
  • Tiredness
  • Urinary obstruction
  • Bleeding with urine (hematuria) or sperm (hemospermia)
  • Pain caused by local or metastatic progression of the disease.
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Diagnosis and Treatment of Prostate Cancer

When prostate cancer is suspected, it is necessary to perform a prostate biopsy to confirm the presence of cancer.

Once the diagnosis is made, there is a range of therapeutic options that are adapted to the type of tumor and the patient’s preferences. These therapies range from radiotherapy to minimally invasive techniques such as cryoablation or radical prostatectomy (which in turn can be open, laparoscopic or robotic).

In certain cases it is necessary to perform an extension study to rule out the presence of disease outside the prostate. This study consists of a Computed Tomography (CT) and a bone scan (GO).