Prostate Cancer – an Overview

How is the prostate structured? The prostate is one of the male internal reproductive organs, which consist s of the seminal duct s, seminal vesicle s and prostate gland .

The prostate is about the size of a walnut and is located in front of the rectum and below the bladder. The prostate surrounds the male urethra. In a 20-year-old man, it weighs about 20 g. The prostate is divide d into an inner and outer zone, and prostate cancer most commonly develops in the outer zone.

What is the prostate‘s function? The prostate produces a glandular fluid that transports and activates sperm . During ejaculation, the stored sperm is transported with this glandular fluid into the urethra and eject ed from the bladder neck towards the penis and glans.

Since the urinary and seminal ducts cross in the prostate, prostate disorders can interfere with urination and ejaculation. In addition to glandular fluid, the prostate produces prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a substance that liquef ies ejaculate. The PSA value in the blood may help to determine the prostate cancer probability.

Are there any known factors that can lead to prostate cancer? The exact causes of prostate cancer are not yet known. However, some factors increase the risk of developing prostate cancer. These include certain dietary habit s, increasing age and family history.

What are the risk factors? Scientific studies show that individual lifestyle, a balanced diet (with plenty of fruit and vegetables, low in animal fats from meat and sausage), a healthy body weight and regular physical exercise play a major role in the prevention of prostate cancer. Recent studies also show that there may be a link between inflammatory processes in the body and prostate cancer. Smoking also increases the probability of developing prostate cancer.

A relatively small proportion of families have increased occurrences of prostate cancer. This is particularly the case when male relatives have genetic mutations on the first chromosome. Indeed, if female relatives repeatedly develop breast cancer, the risk of prostate cancer increases for male relatives.

Testosterone levels and frequent sexual intercourse do not increase the risk of getting prostate cancer, as was previously assume d. How-ever, prostate cancer does grow in a testosterone-dependent manner. This means that high testosterone blood levels are unfavourable in the case of an existing tumour.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer? At the beginning of the disease, patients are usually symptom-free. As the disease progresses and the tumour grows beyond a certain size, the following symptoms may occur:

Accidental leakage of urine,

Back pain,

Bone pain,

Difficulty getting an erection, called erectile dysfunction,

Feeling very tired,

Losing weight (without diet),

Weakness in the arms or legs,

Blood in the urine,

Pain in the prostate,

‘ Sciatica ’ pain caused by bone metastases (back pain).

How is prostate cancer diagnosed? Various methods are used to detect prostate cancer at an early stage:

Rectal examination

Blood test (PSA level)

MRI

Biopsy

Ultrasound examination

Skeletal scintigraphy

PET-CT

Computed tomography

How is prostate cancer treated? In cases of limited prostate cancer, i.e. cancer that has not spread beyond the prostate, the physician will determine whether there is a low, intermediate or high risk of metastasis. If the risk is low, there are five different treatment options available:

Active surveillance

Radical surgery of the prostate

Hormone therapy

Percutaneous radiotherapy (from outside the body)

Brachytherapy (radiation from inside the body)

Radiotherapy and surgery are equivalent treatment methods in low-risk cases. Unlike surgery, radiotherapy preserves the prostate. How-ever, radiotherapy in this region must be carefully planned, as the surrounding area is particularly sensitive to radiation.

Hormone therapy is used when the tumour has already spread and lymph node or bone metastases have developed. Hormone therapy is a systemic treatment and affects the entire body. It has few side effects, so quality of life is maintained, which is a primary goal.

A few words about early detection ... Prostate cancer screening tests are recommended and are covered by health insurance for men over the age of 45.

Prostate cancer detected at an early stage can be treated more successfully and less invasively than in advanced stages. New diagnostic and treatment methods for prostate cancer were presented and discussed at ASCO 2025 and can be read or listened to in the ASCO 2025 Annual Meeting ( https://www.asco.org/annual-meeting) .

EXERCISE:

1. Prostate cancer most commonly develops in the outer zone. A) True B) False

2. The following symptoms are possible for prostate cancer: A) bone pain, B) erectile dysfunction, C) feeling very tired, D) losing weight, E) weakness in the arms or legs, F) blood in the urine.

3. A very high proportion of prostate cancers occur frequently in families. But it has nothing to do with genetic mutations on a chromosome. A) True B) False

You’ll find the answer below.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. www.cancer.org 2. www.dict.cc 3. www.mayoclinic.org 4. www.nhs.uk 5. www.onko-portal.de 6. www.pcf.org 7. www.rki.de 8. www.webster-dictionary.org

CARMEN LOBITZ Carmen Lobitz ist freie Trainerin, Lehrerin und MTL. Sie gründete 1998 in Berlin lobitz seminare, die unter anderem Englischseminare für Health Professionals anbieten.

Kontakt: mail@lobitz-seminare.de

www.lobitz-seminare.de

###more###

Lösung für Exercise:

1. A

2. A bis F

3. B

Prostate Cancer – an Overview

How is the prostate structured?

What is the prostate‘s function?

Online-Angebot der MT im Dialog

Stellen- und Rubrikenmarkt

Prostate Cancer – an Overview

How is the prostate structured?

What is the prostate‘s function?

Sie wollen den ganzen Text lesen?

Das könnte Sie auch interessieren:

Online-Angebot der MT im Dialog

Stellen- und Rubrikenmarkt