Prostrate Cancer A Male Problem! 'Ladies the Facts'

30 November -0001

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Prostate cancer is now the most common form of cancer in UK men, but there is considerable debate over whether men should be routinely screened for this disease

Prostrate cancer may be a male illness but wives girlfriends and partners should be aware because men are notoriously negligent when it comes to their own health care

Although the government does not run a national screening program, men can request testing. But should they?

Prostate cancer, the second most common cause of cancer-related cause of death in UK men, is treatable, but the disease can be advanced before the man gets any symptoms.

The prostate specific antigen or PSA test can help doctors decide whether prostate cancer is likely, but the test not foolproof.

Men with prostate cancer do not always have a raised PSA and men with a raised PSA do not always have prostate cancer, for 100 men with a raised PSA, only a third will have any cancer cells in their prostate.

If PSA is raised, the man will need a biopsy of their prostate a needle which extracts cells from the gland for diagnosing the problem, the biopsy is painful and cancers can still be missed.,/P.

Men aged 80 years 50% will have prostate cancer but only 4% will ultimately die of the disease as a result.

Also, the treatments available have significant side-effects, including impotence, incontinence and psychological stress.

There have been no studies into the most effective ways to treat the condition although currently there is a project is running in the UK to determine whether it is best to treat men with prostate cancer with surgery, radiotherapy or simply to monitor them. To further add to opinion researchers cannot agree whether treatment actually save lives.

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