According to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1.1 million people were newly diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, accounting for about 15% of all new cancer cases, making it the second most common cancer in men worldwide.
1. What is the incidence of prostate cancer in China?
The prostate gland, which weighs about 20 grams and is the size of a walnut, is located below the bladder and is unique to males, wrapping around the proximal urethra that connects to the bladder. In 2012, the incidence rate of prostate cancer in China’s tumor registry area was 9.9/100,000 and the mortality rate was 4.2/100,000, while the incidence rates in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou were 19.30/100,000, 32.23/100,000 and 17.57/100,000, respectively. At present, prostate cancer has become the first malignant tumor among male genitourinary tract tumors and the fifth among all tumor diseases in Shanghai.
2. What are the main causes of prostate cancer?
The cause of prostate cancer is still unclear, but it is clear that there is an obvious causal relationship between androgens and the development of prostate cancer. There are two main factors that have caused a significant increase in the incidence of prostate cancer in China, one is the increase in life expectancy and the aging of the population. Prostate cancer is a common malignant tumor in older men, and the longer the survival time, the greater the chance of developing it. The second is the westernization of diet. In recent years, the age of onset of prostate cancer is clearly showing a younger trend, and there are not many people under 50 years old, which is the most important point to be concerned about. People are consuming more and more high-calorie, high-fat and low-fiber foods, which, combined with the accelerated pace of life, mental stress and sedentary lifestyle, has led to an increasing incidence of prostate cancer.
3. Is there a possibility of cancer in prostatitis and prostate enlargement?
The current evidence shows that prostate enlargement and prostate cancer can co-exist, but prostate enlargement does not turn into prostate cancer, the former is benign hypertrophy, the latter is a tumor, there is no necessary connection. In addition, there is no clear evidence that prostatitis is a predisposing factor for prostate cancer.
4. What is the impact of the proliferation of small advertisements in the society on the diagnosis and treatment of prostatitis and prostate cancer?
The proliferation of small advertisements in the society and the many erroneous views propagated have a great negative impact on prostate disease patients, especially young patients. I remember a patient in his 30s who came to see me because his perineal discomfort had not been treated well in a foreign hospital. The actual fact is that you will find a lot of people who are not able to get a good deal on their own. This is because of the propaganda of small advertisements. The actual fact is that you can find a lot of people who are not able to get a good deal on this kind of things.
In addition, there are many patients who tend to buy drugs on their own once they become unwell, and are not willing to undergo further examination even if they go to the hospital, which directly causes more than fifty percent of the patients to have metastasis when they have obvious symptoms.
5. What are the early symptoms of prostate cancer?
There are no specific early symptoms of prostate cancer, sometimes it can be similar to prostate enlargement, with symptoms of urination phase and storage phase, such as progressive difficulty in urination, thinning of urine stream, bifurcation of urine stream, prolonged urination, frequent urination, urgent urination, increased nocturia, and incomplete urination. Since prostate cancer mostly has no obvious clinical manifestations in the early stage, by the time symptoms such as severe lower urinary tract obstruction, hematuria, generalized bone pain and pathological fracture come to the clinic, more than half of the patients are already in advanced stage with poor 5-year survival rate. In the face of such a malignant disease, screening for high-risk groups and early diagnosis and treatment are the key.
6. What are the high-risk groups for prostate cancer?
The high-risk factors include: i. Men over 50 years old. Prostate cancer is rarely seen in patients under the age of 50, and the incidence rate is increasing exponentially over the age of 50. ii. Those with family history. If one first-degree relative (father or blood brother) has prostate cancer, his risk of developing prostate cancer increases more than 1 times. 2 or more first-degree relatives have prostate cancer, the relative risk had to 5 to 11 times. Racial differences. The incidence rate of black and white people is significantly higher than that of yellow people. Despite some irreversible factors, prostate cancer has a fairly high cure rate as long as it can be detected and diagnosed early.
7. How to achieve early detection?
The Chinese Medical Association Society of Urology guidelines recommend that men over the age of 50 with symptoms of lower urinary tract infection should undergo serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and rectal finger examination. An analysis of a large data model in the United States found that PSA screening could prevent advanced metastatic prostate cancer in 17,000 patients each year; the results of a study published by the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) also showed that in 1,000 men with long-term follow-up, subjects who had annual PSA screening in the 55-69 age group would have 28% fewer advanced prostate cancers. 28%. A special reminder is that it is recommended to add PSA and fPSA (free prostate-specific antigen) tests to routine blood tests during health checkups for those at risk at age 45, so that the risk of prostate cancer can be clearly understood with just one tube of blood.
8. What are the best treatment methods currently available?
Depending on the patient’s clinical stage, pathological classification, age, physical condition and patient’s wishes, different treatment options are available, including active surveillance, radical surgery, radical radiotherapy, endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and bone-protective drugs. Unlike some tumors, prostate cancer is a hormone-related cancer. Androgens are the “nutrients” for prostate cancer cells, and with androgens, it grows very fast. This is why there is a very unique treatment for prostate cancer called “depot treatment”, which is to inhibit the growth of cancer cells by regulating the level of androgens in the body. The prognosis for early stage prostate cancer is excellent, with a 5-year survival rate of over 90%, while the prognosis for metastatic prostate cancer is poor, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%.
9. How should I prevent prostate cancer in my life?
Generally speaking, you should pay attention to control fat and red meat intake, increase the intake of foods rich in dietary fiber and foods rich in vitamin E, selenium, lycopene and other antioxidants, such as green tea, grapefruit and tomatoes. More exercise helps to regulate mental balance, effectively eliminate stress and improve sleep, which is also valuable for cancer prevention.