May
18
Where is the prostate gland found in the body? Many North American men are aware that after lung cancer, prostate cancer kills more men than any other type of cancer. Unfortunately, few men know what the symptoms of cancer of the prostate are. Even fewer know where the prostate gland is found in the body.
The prostate gland is located just on the underside of the bladder. It lies against the rectum. This location makes it possible for a doctor to check the feel of the prostate by inserting a finer in the rectum. The location also explains why the first symptom of prostate cancer is a change in the feeling that one needs to urinate. There are other reasons a prostate may become enlarged and cause changes in the signals the bladder send to the brain, so don’t assume you have cancer of the prostate just because you feel like you have to go but little comes out.
Prostate cancer is a slow-moving disease. One can have it for years and show few, if any, symptoms. It is, however, frequently fatal. Approximately 240,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the United States every year. Of those, 30,000 men will die. In a 2005 study (the USA was not included), 80% of men 70 and older who died of other cause were shown to have it.
If we don’t know what the causes of prostate cancer are, can we at least identify the risk factors? Some of them, yes. Dietary factors that increase risk include high levels of trans fats (hydrogenated vegetable oils) and animal fats, too few leafy green vegetables (low vitamin E) and low vitamin D levels. Eighty percent of men 70 and over have undiagnosed prostate cancer, even if they die of unrelated causes, according to a 2005 study of autopsies done in six countries.
Author: Dr. Alan Jenks
Popularity: 44% [?]
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