Prostate Cancer Research Paper

Prostate cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in middle-to-older aged men, and in 2008 it was the second highest cause of death in males. Although older gentlemen are more prone to being diagnosed, of the roughly 186,000 diagnoses each year (The Promise), many young men faced with the disease choose powerful treatments which often carry with them several unintended consequences. These treatment options, such as surgery or chemotherapy can cause infertility and the inability to perform sexually (Prostate Gland). Over 60% of men opt for either surgery (30%) or chemotherapy (32%). These two options, while effective, cause many severe side effects and can damage other areas of the body that are perfectly healthy (Patterns). While debilitating
The only sign of early onset prostate cancer is the urge to urinate more frequently, and as the cancer advances, blood may be detected in the urine (American). While these two symptoms are sometimes present in non-cancerous problems within the prostate, a prostate-specific antigen, or PSA blood test, can usually determine if cancer is in fact present. This test, while extremely beneficial, can be less accurate if a patient is, among others, a bicycle rider, frequent user of Aspirin, or obese (American). Doctors suggest men begin annual prostate screenings at age 50, and age 45 for men who are deemed to be high risk. Those considered high risk include African American men and men with a strong family history of one-or- more direct family members that were diagnosed with prostate cancer at a young age (Prostate
This type of therapy is efficient in destroying the cancer, but because the rays aren’t accurate and continue moving through the body until they exit, some of them are absorbed into surrounding healthy tissue. The most common areas of the body that are damaged by this type of radiation therapy is the bladder and other surrounding organs (Proton Therapy). Radiation itself is a known cause of cancer and this risk may outweigh the benefits for some when selecting a treatment option. Aside from potentially damaging normal functioning tissue, X-ray therapy causes minimal side effects in its recipients similar to those of surgery, such as loss of bladder control, skin sensitivity, and infertility