Key points:
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Today, and despite technological and scientific advances, visiting a urologist regularly is still a taboo among men.
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Staying informed about prostate cancer diagnostic methods and treatments is helpful in health decision-making.
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Prostate cancer is one of the most common among the male population aged 50 and over.
What is a urologist?
The urologist specializes in pathologies of the male reproductive organs, as well as the urinary and bladder systems.
It is appropriate for a man to go once a year from the age of 45 and, in the case of those who have a relative with prostate cancer, they should go from the age of 40.
Prostate cancer is one of the diseases for which men turn to a urologist, however, many times and due to the symptoms, it is detected almost to the limit to be treated successfully.
According to a recent study by Doctoralia in Mexico, 48% of men do not visit the urologist in their entire lives, 77% because they have not thought it necessary or do not feel sick, 7% due to the price, and 5% for fear of misdiagnosis.
90% of the male population will go to the urologist at least once in their life, due to some pathology associated with the reproductive organ, kidney, or prostate.
We must encourage our family and friends to visit the doctor and have tests done to detect any abnormality and detect any serious illness in time.
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor that originates in the prostate gland. Most prostate cancers develop in the glandular cells, responsible for producing the prostatic fluid that is in semen.
More than 65% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65.
If diagnostic tests are performed promptly, the possibility of obtaining a safe and successful treatment is very likely, therefore, the importance of prevention through recurrent doctor’s visits. Schedule a consultation with the specialist here
If you want to know more about this condition, click here to read our article on prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer detection, what does it consist of?
Prostate cancer is a silent disease, especially in its early stages, however, a person can have symptoms secondary to obstructive prostate growth without having prostate cancer. However, it is important to know that discomfort such as burning when urinating, difficulty in emptying the bladder, increased frequency of urination, fever, pushing, or bleeding when urinating are also some symptoms that should be treated immediately by the urologist since they represent a risk to men’s health. Delaying medical attention can have serious consequences in many cases.
When you go to your doctor’s appointment, you will be interviewed about your urinary and sexual habits, as well as a physical examination that covers the testicles, penis, prostate, and rectum. Subsequently, a blood test will be ordered to determine the prostatic-specific antigen. Thus, the urologist will be able to assess a possible prostate condition.
In case of detecting alterations in the tests performed, an ultrasound, a uroflow, which detects the flow of the patient’s urine, or a biopsy, will be required.
Prostate cancer progresses slowly and its symptoms can appear in advanced stages, therefore, we call to all men and all those who have relatives and friends over 45 years old, so that through prevention and detection it is possible to save their lives.
Science and technology have advanced so much that it allows us to prolong human life even though diseases progress rapidly, however, it would be ideal to attack it at the beginning.
As for treatment, Dr. Samuel Rivera, medical oncologist at the ABC Medical Center, points out that, fortunately, prostate cancer management has evolved significantly in recent years. Initially, the patient should be evaluated by a urologist, and when there is suspicion, the ideal is to be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team with the participation of the urologist, oncologist, radiation oncologist, nutritional team, psychologist, among other specialists, which helps make the most appropriate decisions, with which a greater impact on survival is achieved.
The approach we have at the ABC Medical Center has everything necessary to care for the patient. If the disease is of very low risk, a molecular test can be performed that indicates the possibility that the disease causes repercussions in the future, and if these have a low probability in a patient, it can even be left under surveillance”, says the expert. Likewise, in some cases where it is difficult to diagnose, there are tools such as multiparametric resonance that gives us greater precision in localized disease, or PET CT with the radiotracer, PSMA, especially for advanced disease.
In patients who have higher-risk disease, that is, with a more advanced stage, higher prostatic antigen, or more aggressive disease, treatment may be with one or a combination of the following options, depending on the characteristics of the condition: radiation therapy, minimally invasive surgery (robotic), hormonal treatment to block testosterone, or molecular target therapy, in some cases immunotherapy or radionuclides, the latter, especially when the disease has advanced beyond the prostate gland and has become resistant to hormonal management.
At ABC Medical Center’s Department of Internal Medicine, we can provide you with specialized care. Contact us!
Fuentes:
https://www.cancer.org/es/cancer/tipos/cancer-de-prostata/acerca/que-es-cancer-de-prostata.html
https://quierocuidarme.dkv.es/salud-para-hombres/chequeo-urologico-en-que-consiste
https://www.mayoclinic.org/es/diseases-conditions/prostate-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20353087
