Cancer is a proliferation of cells. When cells begin to grow out of control in an area where more cells are not needed, they can come together and form a tumor. A tumor can be either benign or malignant. If it is cancer, it is malignant. But, even malignant tumors can be excised or reduced with treatment.

There are some cancers that are common to men, some to women, and others that affect both. Here are some cancers that commonly affect men and how to survive them with early detection:

Testicular Cancer

This is a cancer that gained more understanding with the diagnosis of bicyclist Lance Armstrong. The testes are the male reproductive glands that are housed in the scrotum. This is where sperm are created. Sperm, as you know, are the male sex cells.

The cancer can grow in one or both of the testes. There are three types of testicular cancer: stromal cell tumors, nonseminomas and seminomas. The causes are not known, but this cancer has a survival rate of 95 percent when diagnosed early.

Risk factors include: race (Caucasian), age (25-35), family history, and abnormal testicular development (undescended testicle for example). Self-exams are helpful for discovering lumps in the testicular area. You don’t have to make a special point of doing it; just be aware of any changes when you bathe.

Prostate Cancer

The prostate is a small walnut-shaped gland that is found around the urethra. It can enlarge, causing urination to be painful or intermittent. This is called benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH.

Prostate cancer is often diagnosed in men over the age of 55. Prostate screenings begin at the age of 50 along with colonoscopies. The risk factors include being African-American, having a family history of prostate cancer and also eating fatty foods.

It may begin with an enlarged prostate and move on from there. If you have pain or burning when urinating, or blood in the urine, see a doctor for blood work and a physical exam.

Colorectal Cancer

This cancer can affect women and men. It is actually the third most common cancer in both. Colonoscopies are used to identify polyps early on so that they do not develop into a malignant spreading cancer. Early detection is the key.

The pancreaticoduodenectomy, more commonly known as the Whipple procedure after the surgeon who first developed the operation, is the most commonly used operation for attempting to remove cancer present in the pancreas.

In the Whipple procedure, the head of the pancreas is removed. In some case, the body of the pancreas will be removed as well. The Whipple procedure also removes:

• part of the stomach;
• the entire duodenum, which is the first section of the small intestine;
• a small part of the jejunum, the second section of the small intestine;
• and the lymph nodes near the pancreas.

In addition, the gallbladder and part of the common bile duct are removed. The remaining bile duct is attached to the small intestine so that bile produced in the liver can continue to enter the small intestine to aid in the process of digestion.

The Whipple procedure is a complicated operation which can be difficult for surgeons to perform successfully and therefore requires a great deal of skill and experience.

The greatest area of concern is regarding the nature of the pancreas, which releases enzymes in its pancreatic juice that help to digest food and can therefore digest human tissue. If these pancreatic enzymes leak out after surgery, the pancreas might start to digest itself, along with any other nearby tissues in the body cavity.

The Whipple procedure is a major operation that carries a relatively high risk of complications, complications so great that they can prove to be fatal.

When the Whipple procedure is performed in cancer centers by surgeons experienced in this type of surgery, approximately 2% to 5% of patients die as a direct result of complications from surgery.

When the procedure is done in small hospitals or by doctors with less experience, up to 15% of patients may die as a result of post-surgical complications.

Even in the hands of the most skilled surgeons, about 30% to 50% of patients will suffer complications from the surgery. These complications include:

• leaking from the various connections that the surgeon has to make
• infections
• bleeding
• trouble with the stomach emptying itself after eating

Pancreatic cancer is relatively symptomless until it is in its advanced stages. For this reason, only about 10% of cancers of the pancreas appear to be contained entirely within the pancreas at the time the cancer is diagnosed.

Attempts to remove the entire cancer by surgery may be successful in some of these patients. However, even if there appears to be no cancer spreading beyond the pancreas at the time of the pancreas being removed, it is possible for cancer cells to have already spread throughout the body.

The current 5-year rate of survival even after pancreatic cancer surgery is only about 20%.

Therefore, prevention of cancer of the pancreas is key. So is early detection of any form of cancer. Therefore, a person should see the doctor if any gastrointestinal symptoms appear and last for more than a couple of days.

Complementary therapy seeks to meet the needs of cancer patients.  What is needed varies from moment to moment.  Let’s start with the body.  Taking a holistic view of the cancer patient, it is important to be in a positive state of mind throughout treatment.  Even a traditional doctor will tell you that.

Yoga is a complementary cancer therapy that works to connect the mind, body and spirit.  It was developed thousands of years ago and is a form of exercise that concentrates on meditation, breathing and posture.  The result of practising yoga is a greater sense of awareness about yourself, peace, lower stress levels and increased strength.  For the patient undergoing cancer treatment, yoga can reduce or even eliminate the side effects.

Bio feedback is another complementary therapy that seeks to make a connection between the mind and the body.  It is much like mind over matter.  Through their relaxation methods, people learn to control processes within their body that are usually involuntary.  These processes include blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and others.  Biofeedback has been used to treat chronic pain.  It can also help improve the quality of life for cancer patients in all stages.

Changing what you eat can aid in your cancer treatment.  For instance, eliminating red meat reduces the amount of animal fat in your body to stimulate certain hormone production that feeds cancerous tumors.  Along that same line are vitamin supplements.  Getting the recommended daily dose of essential vitamins increases the tools the body has to work with when it is repairing itself.  A body battling cancer needs to be at its best.

So, are complementary cancer therapies effective?  In a way, they are.  No one is claiming that they cure cancer, but, in conjunction with traditional therapies they enable the body to fight back as hard as it can.

Complementary therapy is a term used to describe treatment options for medical conditions that are used with traditional medical treatment.  Before undertaking these complementary treatments, patients are encouraged to consult their physicians.  But, how effective are they as cancer treatments?

The answer depends on what you are looking for in the complementary cancer therapy.  Every day there are new breakthroughs in cancer treatment.  Actually being able to administer the new drugs is several years away and throughout the process of testing there are no guarantees that they will be found useful.

Besides legitimate researchers, there are those who have cut corners and advertise ìtoo good to be “true” treatments.  When sick patients are grasping at straws, they usually come in contact with these people and wind up penniless with their spirit broken.

The truth is that even traditional medical treatment had to be tested before it could be thought of as safe.  Even those that help such as radiation and chemotherapy have serious side effects that are hard to bear.

Watching the cancer is another treatment option.  This sounds like waiting for the other shoe to drop but it is not.  The doctors closely monitor any changes in the size of the tumor.  This works for men who have early cancers.  For your part, any changes in symptoms need to be reported immediately to your doctor.

Another option that men are seeking is hormone therapy.  This term is most common when talking about conditions that affect women, such as menopause.  But, hormones are a part of the normal functioning of the human body, female or male.

For men, the hormone in question is testosterone.  What this hormone does is increase the growth of the tumor.  Using drugs to block testosterone from having an effect on the prostate cancer is one way to keep the tumor from growing.

When considering hormone therapy, be well informed.  For tumors that are contained within the prostate, changing the levels of testosterone may do more harm than good.  This therapy has been shown to help men with advanced and metastatic prostate cancer.

Before giving up hope, consider your treatment options.

The main factor to consider when treatment is discussed is the stage of the cancer.  Staging is done to let you know at what rate the cancer is progressing and the severity at the time of diagnosis.  As you know, prostate cancer grows slowly and is highly curable while the cancer is within the gland itself.  Other factors include age, diet and lifestyle.

Prostate cancer that is caught early has the most treatment options.  One option is surgery.  The gland can be removed and the cancer with it.  There are different surgical options depending on your preference.  Removing the prostate whole involves a surgical procedure called a prostatectomy.  Before performing surgery, the surgeon will perform a procedure on the lymph nodes to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread.

A less invasive procedure is trans-urethral resection of the prostate.  The prostate gland is broken into smaller pieces and removed through the urethra so there is no incision made.  Surgery is an option for younger men that have the disease, since they have a higher chance of the cancer progressing and metastasizing as they age.

Surgical intervention has its side effects.  Men who have undergone surgery can suffer from urinary or fecal incontinence or erectile dysfunction.  These conditions do get better over time with drugs but some men will need further surgery to tighten sphincter muscles to control incontinence.

Another option is radiation therapy.  This is also termed brachytherapy.  For prostate cancer, radiation therapy is usually received through the implanting of radioactive “seeds”near the tumor.  There are also other methods of radiation therapy such as external radiation.

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More tell tail signs of Prostate cancer are:

Having trouble controlling the stream of urine.  This pertains to getting the urine to flow in the first place or stopping it at will.

Blood in the urine is the sign that usually alarms most men.  The blood may also be present in ejaculated fluid.

Pain or a burning sensation when you urinate or ejaculate is another noted symptom.

At the first sign of these conditions you should consult a doctor.  It could be benign prostate disease or it could be a cancerous tumor getting larger.

There are also signs of advanced prostate cancer.  This means that the tumor has gotten large enough to block normal function or the cancer has spread beyond the confines of the gland.

Typical symptoms include:

* Losing weight
* Fatigue
* Nausea or vomiting
* Pain in the pelvis, bones, lower back, ribs or upper thigh area

Don’t wait.  A clear diagnosis of your situation can make all the difference.

As we have mentioned in our earlier post, prostate cancer is one of the major cancers found in men.  It has a high cure rate as long as it is caught early enough.  You should know the symptoms and signs of this condition so that you can get medical attention before it is too late.

Why are these exams important?

Well, most cancers of the prostate occur in men who are over 65 unless there is a family history of the disease.  But, early intervention can help you avoid ever getting prostate cancer.  Doctors can detect subtle changes in the feel and size of the gland that could be a warning of things to come.

Currently, there are no warning signs if you are in the early stages of the cancer.  Know this: Prostate cancer grows slowly and those who have it are more likely to die of other causes than this cancer.  And, recognizing the symptoms and lowering your risk factors can keep it that way.

The symptoms will begin to present when the tumor begins to grow.  One tell-tale sign is frequent urination.  If you notice that you are getting up more than usual at night to pee, be on the alert for other symptoms that may also be occurring.

Begin to examine your urine.  A weak urine stream even when you know that your bladder is full can indicate that the prostate is getting bigger.  Because the prostate is surrounded by the urethra (carries urine from the bladder to the outside) any changes in size will press on these tubes.

Have you heard about cooking on a charcoal grill?  Substances produced in the char have been known to increase the incidence of cancer.  Combine that with eating a lot of red meat like steaks and you have just upped your risk factors. A barbeque once in a while is okay, but let’s not overdo it, and keep our men healthy!

One major cause of prostate cancer is genetic.  Those with a family history of prostate cancer need to seek a doctor’s advice on the matter.  Yearly checkups will begin well before the age of 50 in these cases.

Doctors are hesitant to say that diet and genetics actually “cause” prostate cancer.  They do significantly increase the risk that you will develop it.  Changing what you eat and getting yearly tests may just keep the disease from ever touching your life in the first place.

Healthful Goddess provides information about healthy living, and in this segment we will concentrate on articles about Prostate Cancer, its causes, symptoms and treatment, so you can help the men in your life!

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Every year, over 240,000 men will get a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Study shows that in America, prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in the male population.  Therefore, it is important to know what factors come into play when determining if you are at risk.  Here are some of the causes of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is rare in other parts of the world.  That alone suggests that environment and diet play a significant role in the formation of this type of cancer.  It is not the number one killer of men but there are close to 30,000 deaths a year from the condition.  African-American men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer.

Like any other cancer, cancer of the prostate can begin with normal cells.  When the cells start to grow out of control you have cancer.  Prostate cancer has a very high cure rate when the cancer remains in situ (within the gland).  Once the cancer metastasizes to other organs, the brain and/or bone, it is incurable.

So, what do you need to know about prostate cancer to lower your chances of developing the disease?

The prostate is a small gland that is found below the bladder in the male reproductive system.  This gland is responsible for creating most of the fluid that goes into making semen.  The male hormone, testosterone, regulates the function of the prostate gland.

The prostate can become enlarged.  This is called BPH or benign prostatic hypertrophy.  It can be uncomfortable to say the least, but there are no cancer cells.  You wonít know if this is the case unless you get tested.  Beginning at age 50, a yearly exam is recommenced to catch any cancer that may be growing there.

As we said, diet can play a big role in the development of prostate cancer.  Men who have a diet high in red meat and unhealthy fats are at greater risk.  This excess animal fat increases the production of testosterone in the body.  Prostate cancer is essentially a slow growing cancer, but testosterone increases the growth rate of the prostate tumor.