The Jolie Effect Men are following the example of men who have had their prostates removed. The other day Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie revealed that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy. She wrote a letter to the New York Times claiming that she had her breasts cut because she has a genetic defect that puts her at a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. It is understood that Jolie inherited the mutated cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 from her mother, who died at the age of 56 from ovarian cancer caused by carrying the gene. Jolie did not want to repeat the same mistake, so she underwent preventive surgery to reduce the risk of cancer. The controversy caused by the Jolie incident has not yet subsided, and it was recently reported that a British man also decided to remove his prostate gland to prevent prostate cancer from occurring, but at first his primary care doctor was reluctant to operate on him, but eventually he was operated on. The man followed the example of Angelina Jolie and had his prostate removed to prevent cancer. The case is more controversial than Angelina Jolie’s, whose primary doctor refused to operate on him at first. The relationship between BRCA and cancer, BRCA1 and BRCA2, stands for Breast Cancer Susceptibility Gene 1/2, which are both oncogenes that encode proteins that produce tumor suppressor cells. Both genes are oncogenes that encode proteins that produce tumor suppressor cells. The BRCA1/2 protein is part of this line of defense, and if the BRCA1/2 mutation causes loss of cancer suppression, the incidence of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or some other tumors such as pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, etc. will increase. prostate cancer, etc. will be significantly higher. Since they were first identified in breast cancer, they are called breast cancer susceptibility genes. The tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 were thought to be most closely related to the development of breast and ovarian cancers. However, recent studies have shown that they are also very closely related to the development of prostate cancer. Using information from Europe and the United States, the relative risk of prostate cancer in families with BRCA2 mutations is 4.65 times higher than in the general population, and the risk of prostate cancer in men younger than 65 years old is 7.33 times higher than in the general population. However, having a genetic defect does not necessarily mean that you will get cancer. The development of prostate cancer is multifactorial and recent studies have found that improved lifestyles, high-fat diets and an aging population are contributing factors to the high incidence of prostate cancer. Is he really following Julie’s example? This is not the case. The British man is a businessman, married with children. Although he has the BRCA2 gene defect, at first doctors were reluctant to operate on him because there was no sign of prostate problems during the examination, as removing the prostate might bring about incontinence and sexual dysfunction. The doctor later found during laboratory tests that the man had very low levels of cancer cells in his prostate, which normally would not require removal of the prostate. However, the doctor believed that prostate cancer associated with the BRCA2 gene defect, once developed, can deteriorate rapidly, with a higher chance of the cancer spreading and a lower survival period than the average prostate cancer patient, so he repeatedly weighed the pros and cons before deciding to perform the surgery on him. The post-operative pathology further confirmed the need for the surgery, not just to prevent the occurrence of cancer, the post-operative histopathology of the man’s prostate gland showed the presence of a large number of cancer cells, which means that the man is a prostate cancer patient, but the preoperative tests have not given a diagnosis. The actual fact is that the prostate gland is a small organ, weighing about 20 grams or less than 50 grams. It is hidden and not easy to diagnose. The prostate gland is shaped like an upside down chestnut, often referred to as a cone in medical books, which seems less graphic than a chestnut. The bottom of it has a horizontal diameter of 4 cm, a longitudinal diameter of 3 cm, and an anterior and posterior diameter of 2 cm. The prostate gland is located at the bottom of the pelvis, above it is the bladder, below it is the urethra, in front of it is the pubic bone, behind it is the rectum, the doctor can touch the prostate gland in the rectal examination, the reason for this is that. The prostate gland is held in place by many ligaments and fascia, thus determining its hidden location. The actual fact that the prostate gland is in control of the urethra is the reason why the prostate gland is first affected by urination. The prostate is divided into five lobes, called the anterior lobe, the middle lobe, the posterior lobe and both lobes, of which the anterior lobe is very small, located between the left and right lobes and the urethra, which is not clinically important. The posterior lobe is located behind the middle lobe and both lobes, and this lobe is felt during rectal examination. There is a physiological central sulcus in the middle of it, and during rectal examination, it is often determined whether the prostate is enlarged based on whether this central sulcus becomes shallow or disappears. The main parts of the prostate that often produce hyperplasia are the middle lobe and the two lateral lobes. The actual fact is that you can find a lot of people who are not able to get a good deal on a lot of things. The prostate fluid contains proteolytic enzymes and fibrinolytic enzymes, so it can help the sperm to cross the heavy barrier —– mucus barrier in the cervix and the zona pellucida of the egg cell, so that the sperm and egg cell can combine smoothly. 2, stimulate the vitality of the sperm. The prostate fluid contains a special ingredient that enables the sperm to obtain nutrients from the semen and stimulates the vitality of the sperm. 3. Promotes the liquefaction of the semen. The pancreatic lactase in prostate fluid can promote the liquefaction of semen. 4. Increase the viability of sperm. The prostate fluid is slightly alkaline and can neutralize the acidic secretions in the female vagina, reducing the erosion of acidic substances on the sperm and improving the sperm survival rate. 5. Maintain the hygiene of the genitourinary system. This shows that the prostate has a very important physiological function and is not a dispensable organ. In fact, even if the diagnosis of prostate cancer is confirmed, not all of them use radical removal of the prostate gland as a means of treatment. One reason is that prostate cancer is a tumor that progresses very slowly, and even without treatment, the natural course of the disease can be about 10 years. For example, if a senior prostate cancer patient has a life expectancy of less than 10 years, the final cause of death is not prostate cancer, so surgical removal of the prostate is not recommended for senior patients. The second reason to be cautious about choosing surgery to remove the prostate is that complications after surgery often cause great pain to the patient, such as post-operative urinary incontinence, post-operative urinary difficulties, and post-operative sexual dysfunction. Reason three, by the development of prostate cancer is closely related to androgens, the clinical use of drugs to block the synthesis of androgens or anti-androgens can also often achieve good results in controlling the tumor. So scientific medical choice is the right choice, blindly following the trend is not advisable, only professional can do the best, trust your doctor can provide you with scientific, professional and reasonable advice.