Just this past October 28th was World Men’s Health Day. The prostate gland is known as the “life gland” of men, and is important for men because it not only provides nutrients for sperm by secreting prostate fluid, but also controls urination.
In recent years, more and more people are concerned about prostate diseases, especially prostate cancer, which has become the highest incidence of malignant tumors in the male urological system in China, and is often described as the “silent killer” because it is not easily detected. The most important thing is that it is not easy to find out what is going on in the world, but there are always people who are confused about the relationship between prostatitis, prostate enlargement and prostate cancer.
Here are 7 prostate questions you may be concerned about based on the concerns of Tencent Medical Dictionary users.
Misunderstanding one
If chronic prostatitis is not cured,
Will it turn into prostate cancer?
It can be responsibly said that this conclusion is baseless.
The cause of prostate cancer is not well understood and may be related to race, genetics, environment, food, smoking, and other factors. Research suggests that dihydrotestosterone plays an important role in prostate cancer development, and epidemiological studies also suggest that the three prerequisites for the development of prostate cancer are male, increasing age, and androgen stimulation.
Clinically, chronic prostatitis has a high incidence in young adults, while prostate cancer is most often seen in older men.
Prostatitis may present with fever and painful burning urination during acute attacks, and also cause temporary elevation of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values, but usually with anti-inflammatory treatment, these inflammations subside quickly and the PSA falls rapidly to normal levels within a short period of time.
Prostatitis does not affect testicular production of androgens or hormone metabolism, and epidemiological studies have not found a definite link between chronic prostatitis and the development of prostate cancer. Of course, it is still important for older patients with prostatitis to have their PSA checked regularly to avoid missing the diagnosis and delaying optimal treatment.
Puncture pain is felt minimally and is usually numbed with anesthetic.
In general, most hospitals perform transrectal prostate puncture with local mucosal surface anesthesia and transperineal puncture with local infiltration anesthesia.
Prostate puncture biopsy is uncomfortable in two ways: first, the placement of the ultrasound probe and puncture gun into the rectum causes discomfort, similar to that of a rectal exam, and is mostly tolerable; second, the puncture needle penetrating the prostate through the rectal wall can be somewhat uncomfortable.
However, because the puncture needle is thin and the insertion is rapid and instantaneous, it produces less pain when the patient is calm and relaxed and is generally tolerable. A small number of patients may still feel localized pain after the puncture and can respond with oral pain medication.
Misunderstanding III
Do men who masturbate a lot get prostate cancer?
Masturbation, a common phenomenon among men, can cause prostate congestion and bruising with frequent masturbation, but excessive abstinence can also cause a buildup of prostate fluid.
The impact of male masturbation on the body and mind is more due to the psychological burden of frequent masturbation. Most adult men do not have to worry about masturbation inducing prostatitis, as long as they are masturbating at a certain frequency, and moderate masturbation can also help remove prostate fluid and relieve blood stagnation in the prostate, which has a positive effect on protecting and restoring prostate function.
So there is no scientific basis for saying that frequent masturbation can cause prostate cancer.
Misunderstanding four
Does lycopene prevent prostate cancer?
It is not reliable to rely on eating more tomatoes to prevent prostate cancer. Lycopene is beneficial, but not enough to “fight cancer”.
Eating more fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of cancer. Researchers believe that this benefit may be related to the micronutrients contained in fruits and vegetables.
Carotenoids are a group of nutrients that are thought to have chemopreventive effects. Lycopene, on the other hand, is a common circulating carotenoid that has a variety of potential activities, including antioxidant effects, and is found in many vegetables, most commonly tomatoes, which will be more readily absorbed by the body if they are cooked and also have oils present.
But the current study analyzed the published data and concluded that there is insufficient evidence that lycopene reduces the risk of prostate cancer, and the conclusion that lycopene supplementation reduces the risk of prostate cancer remains to be confirmed.
Misunderstanding V
Selenium and vitamin E supplementation
Can it prevent prostate cancer?
It does not.
A large randomized, placebo-controlled trial of selenium and vitamin E cancer prevention provides credible evidence for the cancer-preventive effects of vitamin E and selenium. However, supplementation with vitamin E and selenium did not reduce the prevalence of prostate cancer, and taking vitamin E alone conversely increased the risk of prostate cancer.
Notably, the elevated risk of prostate cancer from vitamin E was found after discontinuing the supplement, suggesting that vitamin E may have a long-term effect.
Misunderstanding VI
Does having prostate cancer equal a death sentence?
Does prostate cancer equal a death sentence?
Prostate cancer usually develops relatively slowly, growing, spreading, and metastasizing much more slowly than tumors such as lung and liver cancer.
In general, prostate cancer does not affect life expectancy, and most prostate cancer patients tend to die from other systemic diseases.
In the United States, the 5-year survival rate for prostate cancer is up to 99%, with the best prognosis of all types of malignancies. For early-stage prostate cancer, the 5-year survival rate after radical surgery is almost 100%, and the 10-year survival rate can reach 90%. For patients who are too old or in poor health to tolerate surgery, radical radiotherapy can also achieve better results.
So after a diagnosis of prostate cancer, patients and families should actively seek help from a specialist who will determine a combination of factors, including life expectancy, tumor stage classification, and the presence of distant metastases, to develop an individualized treatment plan for the patient.
In addition, techniques such as cryoablation and in vivo radiation therapy can be used for individualized treatment as appropriate.
At present, many patients in China are diagnosed at an intermediate to late stage, but can still be treated with a combination of endocrine therapy to control the progression of the disease and prolong life expectancy.
Misunderstanding VII
Does the removal of the prostate result in loss of sexual function?
Most patients will experience erectile dysfunction after surgery, but it usually returns to normal within one year after surgery.
Erectile function is neurologically regulated, and the nerves that govern penile erection are contained in a structure called the “neurovascular bundle” on each side of the prostate, posterior and lateral to the prostate.
Traditional radical prostate cancer surgery, in order to remove the lesion as completely as possible, usually damages the “neurovascular bundle,” resulting in erectile dysfunction in most patients after surgery.
In recent years, radical prostate cancer surgery has been performed to preserve as much of the neurovascular bundle as possible while ensuring complete tumor removal, thus preserving sexual function as much as possible. Therefore, with the development of neurovascular bundle protection techniques, most patients can generally regain normal sexual function within one year after surgery.