How to Know if You're at High Risk for Prostate Cancer
Consider your age.There is a very strong correlation between your age and your risk of developing prostate cancer., Understand your family medical history.Another thing that increases your risk of developing prostate cancer in your lifetime is if...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Consider your age.There is a very strong correlation between your age and your risk of developing prostate cancer.
You are unlikely to develop prostate cancer before the age of 40, and about six in ten cases of prostate cancer are in men over the age of
65.
Even if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer later in life, it is key to understand that many men outlive their prostate cancer.
What this means is that, even if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, many forms are very slow-growing and do not need treatment.
They may never move beyond the prostate and may never cause you serious problems.On the other hand, some prostate cancers are more severe and can spread throughout the body. -
Step 2: Understand your family medical history.Another thing that increases your risk of developing prostate cancer in your lifetime is if you have a family history of prostate cancer.
There appears to be a genetic tendency that can be passed on from generation to generation.
Your risk of having this tendency relates to the number of men in your family who have had prostate cancer (as well as how closely related to you they are).If you have a family history of breast cancer, this may also increase the chances that you, as a man, may develop prostate cancer.
Some studies have linked these two diseases to similar genetic mutations. , People of Asian descent have a lower incidence of prostate cancer than Caucasians or Hispanics. , Let your doctor know if you have been experiencing dribbling of urine, incomplete emptying of your bladder, or awakening several times per night to go to the bathroom.
Each of these may be signs of an enlarged prostate.
The most common cause of an enlarged prostate is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is not cancer.
In some cases, however, prostate cancer can cause urinary symptoms and can enlarge the prostate.
It is worth seeing your doctor to determine the underlying cause and to evaluate for the possible presence of prostate cancer. , It is thus important to tell your doctor about it.
Your doctor will then likely advise that you receive investigative tests to look into whether or not prostate cancer is the root cause. , Pain in your hip bones or spine may be due to metastatic prostate cancer.
This is because the most common place that prostate cancer spreads to is your bones.
Inform your doctor if you are experiencing pain in either or both of these areas. , While screening for prostate cancer has been shown to detect prostate cancers earlier, it has not been shown to reduce the number of deaths from prostate cancer.
As such, the benefits of prostate cancer screening tests are questioned by the medical community.
Detecting prostate cancer earlier via screening tests does not tell your doctor much about how the cancer may progress or affect your quality of life (if at all).
It can be difficult to decide whether or not to proceed with treatment.
Surgery may or may not prevent complications and deaths, and may or may not have adverse effects such as impotence and urinary incontinence.
The choice of whether or not to move forward with screening tests for prostate cancer is normally discussed on an individual basis between each man and his doctor.
Each person's situation will require careful thought and decision making. , This is a short procedure in which your doctor inserts a gloved finger through your anus and up your rectum until they can feel your prostate.
Your doctor will then evaluate the contour of your prostate to see if there are any unusual areas or masses.
The DRE exam normally only takes a couple of minutes to perform.
It can be done in the office setting and does not require any special preparation. , (Note that this test is not accurate enough to be diagnostic of prostate cancer.) An elevated PSA may also indicate a prostate infection, prostate inflammation, or prostate enlargement.
It is not specific to prostate cancer. , An ultrasound probe will be inserted through your rectum to provide the clearest view of your prostate.
If a cancer is present, a mass will most likely be able to be seen on ultrasound. , The appearance of the suspicious tissue under the microscope can confirm for sure whether or not it is prostate cancer. -
Step 3: Be aware that certain races are at higher risk for prostate cancer.African Americans have been shown to have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer than either Caucasian or Hispanic men.
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Step 4: Tell your doctor if you are experiencing problems with urination.One of the telltale signs of a possible prostate cancer — and certainly something that indicates that you are at higher risk for a possible prostate cancer — is problems with urination.
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Step 5: Take note of blood in your semen.Blood in your semen is another sign that is suspicious of prostate cancer
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Step 6: and increases the risk that you may have it.
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Step 7: Inform your doctor if you are experiencing pain either in your pelvic area
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Step 8: or spine.Pain in your pelvic area may be due to a tumor of the prostate.
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Step 9: Discuss the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening with your physician.The choice of whether or not to screen for prostate cancer is a highly controversial one right now.
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Step 10: Ask your doctor to perform a DRE (digital rectal exam).A digital rectal exam (DRE) has limited and perhaps no value for screening (when a man has no symptoms); however
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Step 11: it can be essential when investigating symptoms
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Step 12: such as difficulty urinating or blood in semen.
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Step 13: Get a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test done if you have symptoms.A small amount of PSA can normally be detected in the blood; however
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Step 14: if your blood test shows an unusually elevated PSA
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Step 15: it may be an indication of prostate cancer.
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Step 16: Receive an ultrasound.If your clinical signs and symptoms and/or tests (such as a DRE or PSA) are suspicious for a possible prostate cancer
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Step 17: your doctor will likely recommend that you proceed with an ultrasound.
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Step 18: Opt for a prostate biopsy.If the ultrasound shows a mass
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Step 19: your doctor will likely use a needle to take several small samples of the prostate mass for a biopsy (that is
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Step 20: to be examined under the microscope).
Detailed Guide
You are unlikely to develop prostate cancer before the age of 40, and about six in ten cases of prostate cancer are in men over the age of
65.
Even if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer later in life, it is key to understand that many men outlive their prostate cancer.
What this means is that, even if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, many forms are very slow-growing and do not need treatment.
They may never move beyond the prostate and may never cause you serious problems.On the other hand, some prostate cancers are more severe and can spread throughout the body.
There appears to be a genetic tendency that can be passed on from generation to generation.
Your risk of having this tendency relates to the number of men in your family who have had prostate cancer (as well as how closely related to you they are).If you have a family history of breast cancer, this may also increase the chances that you, as a man, may develop prostate cancer.
Some studies have linked these two diseases to similar genetic mutations. , People of Asian descent have a lower incidence of prostate cancer than Caucasians or Hispanics. , Let your doctor know if you have been experiencing dribbling of urine, incomplete emptying of your bladder, or awakening several times per night to go to the bathroom.
Each of these may be signs of an enlarged prostate.
The most common cause of an enlarged prostate is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is not cancer.
In some cases, however, prostate cancer can cause urinary symptoms and can enlarge the prostate.
It is worth seeing your doctor to determine the underlying cause and to evaluate for the possible presence of prostate cancer. , It is thus important to tell your doctor about it.
Your doctor will then likely advise that you receive investigative tests to look into whether or not prostate cancer is the root cause. , Pain in your hip bones or spine may be due to metastatic prostate cancer.
This is because the most common place that prostate cancer spreads to is your bones.
Inform your doctor if you are experiencing pain in either or both of these areas. , While screening for prostate cancer has been shown to detect prostate cancers earlier, it has not been shown to reduce the number of deaths from prostate cancer.
As such, the benefits of prostate cancer screening tests are questioned by the medical community.
Detecting prostate cancer earlier via screening tests does not tell your doctor much about how the cancer may progress or affect your quality of life (if at all).
It can be difficult to decide whether or not to proceed with treatment.
Surgery may or may not prevent complications and deaths, and may or may not have adverse effects such as impotence and urinary incontinence.
The choice of whether or not to move forward with screening tests for prostate cancer is normally discussed on an individual basis between each man and his doctor.
Each person's situation will require careful thought and decision making. , This is a short procedure in which your doctor inserts a gloved finger through your anus and up your rectum until they can feel your prostate.
Your doctor will then evaluate the contour of your prostate to see if there are any unusual areas or masses.
The DRE exam normally only takes a couple of minutes to perform.
It can be done in the office setting and does not require any special preparation. , (Note that this test is not accurate enough to be diagnostic of prostate cancer.) An elevated PSA may also indicate a prostate infection, prostate inflammation, or prostate enlargement.
It is not specific to prostate cancer. , An ultrasound probe will be inserted through your rectum to provide the clearest view of your prostate.
If a cancer is present, a mass will most likely be able to be seen on ultrasound. , The appearance of the suspicious tissue under the microscope can confirm for sure whether or not it is prostate cancer.
About the Author
Emma Brown
With a background in education and learning, Emma Brown brings 12 years of hands-on experience to every article. Emma believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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