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What is the prostate?


What is the prostate gland?
The prostate gland lies underneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra (water-pipe) that urine and semen pass through. Its main functions are to support the bladder neck and make some of the fluid that sperm travel in. It is usually the size of a walnut but grows with age.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It may cause problems with passing urine but many men do not have any symptoms at all. 4 out of 10 men over 70 years of age will have prostate cancer. Most of them will live their lives without it being discovered or affecting them.

The causes are at present unknown but it is more common in some ethnic groups and diet has an effect. It also runs in families.

There is ongoing research into lycopene (an antioxidant found in tomatoes), selenium (Brazil nuts, fish,seafood,whole grains and soy beans) and Vitamin E to see if these foods help to prevent prostate cancer.

What do I look out for?
Frequent urination
Urine not flowing freely
Blood in your urine
Pain in your lower back when urinating
A feeling of not emptying your bladder
These symptoms are usually caused by other problems than cancer but do check them out with your doctor.

Tests for prostate cancer

PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood test
The prostate gland makes a protein called PSA some of which is in the blood. The level can be affected by several factors, including age, infection and some medicines. The PSA test alone cannot diagnose prostate cancer but it can show there is a problem with the prostate.

Digital Rectal Examination (DRE)
This involves feeling the prostate gland through the back passage. The doctor or nurse is feeling for any hard or irregular area that may be a sign of cancer.

Transrectal Ultrasound and Biopsy
The ultrasound probe is placed in the back passage and the prostate is measured and scanned for abnormalities. A series of prostate samples can be taken at random throughout the gland. These tissue samples are sent to a laboratory to be looked at under a microscope. A report is sent to the specialist giving details of how many samples contain cancer and how quickly or slowly it may grow in the future.
If the results of the biopsy are positive then further imaging tests will be needed to clarify the extent of the cancer.