The prostate gland is about the size of a walnut in younger men, but it enlarges as men age. It adds fluid to semen, and its muscles help push semen through the urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen out of t he body through the penis.
Being age 50 or older, having a history of smoking, having a family history of pr ostate cancer, and being African American increases one’s risk of the disease. Prostate cancers tend to grow slowly. Some tumors never become a problem, but this is not always t he case. A PSA test measur es prostate-specific antigen in the blood. Elevated levels can mean cancer is present.
Early-stage prostate cancer usually has no symptoms, but they can show up later. Symptoms include having to pee more often (especially at night) or straining to empty your bladder, blood in your urine or seminal fluid, new onset of er ectile dysfunction, discomfort or pain when sit ting, and pain or burning when urinating. Other symptoms can occur if cancer has spr ead beyond the prostate gland.
Should you get screened if you have no symptoms? There’s no easy answer, because tumor growth is hard to predict. Discuss your risks wit h your doctor.
How is prostate cancer treated with radiation?
Prostate cancer is most often tr eated with external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT), delivered from outside the body, and specifically with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which treats the tumor while protecting nearby normal tissues.
In another method, brachytherapy, small radioactive pellets are placed directly into the prostate. Brachytherapy alone is generally used only in men with relatively slow-growing, early-stage prostate cancer. Brachytherapy combined with external radiation is sometimes used with men whose cancer is more likely to grow outside the prostate.
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