Prostate Cancer: Symptoms, Causes, Types and Treatment

Cancer refers to the unusual and abrupt growth of cell mass that starts to spread or metastasize to other body parts.

For prostate cancer, this tumor develops in the prostate region. It forms just below the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum, occurring only in males as they have the walnut-shaped prostate gland.

Symptoms of Prostate Cancer:

In the early stages, this cancer shows no indications. However, as the ailment progresses, specific symptoms show up. They can include:

• Frequent urination
• Hematuria- urine in blood
• Skeletal pain, primarily in the vertebrae, ribs, and pelvis
• Nocturia- increased urination at night time
• Fatigue and drowsiness
• Anemia
• Dysuria- pain during urination
• Fecal incontinence

Causes and Risk Factors:

Prostate cancer may develop due to a variety of reasons. Some of them are:

• Genetic Disposition: If an individual has a particular gene variant associated with prostate cancer, he becomes susceptible to developing the disease. Those with first-degree relatives, like fathers or brothers, suffering from the ailment have a higher chance of getting it. As such, it can pass on from one generation to the next.
• High blood and testosterone levels: Men suffering from high blood pressure linked to lack of exercise or other associated disorders or having an elevated level of the male hormone testosterone in the blood are at risk of developing prostate cancer.
• Obesity: Obesity is a primary factor that increases the death rate associated with prostate cancer by over 34%.
• Age: Those in their advanced ages, predominately over 45 years, are more likely to suffer from the ailment.
• Genetic Mutations: Abnormal changes in genes like hereditary prostate cancer gene 1 (HPC1), vitamin D receptor, and androgen receptor can lead to prostate cancer. TMPRSS2-ERG or TMPRSS2-ETV1/4 promote the growth of cancer cells, accelerating prostate cancer.
• Infections: Infectious diseases like prostatitis and specific Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) like syphilis, Chlamydia, and gonorrhea may enhance the possibility of getting prostate cancer.

Types of Prostate Cancer:

Predominately, all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas. They develop from the gland cells secreting the prostate fluid. In addition to it, its other types are:

• Sarcomas
• Neuroendocrine tumors
• Small cell carcinoma
• Transitional cell carcinoma

Treatment:

Enzalutamide is a non-steroidal antiandrogen (NSAA) drug that stops the effects of androgen, ceasing the growth and spread of cancer cells. Doctors use it in aggregation with castration to treat metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC), and non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.