a polite old English phase meaning to Urinate
Many people still believe that a man with cancer has a death sentence and this is simply not true.
Medical experts tell us that there are hundreds of various types of cancer and some can and are being cured.
Cancer is described as being an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. These cells can spread quickly throughout the body and through the bloodstream and lymph system. They can also create new tumours that begin replacing the normal tissue.
Some types don't move at all but some can be aggressive and attack different parts of the body.
One of the areas that cancer hits a man is in his prostate and this is usually what doctors call a primary cancer. This means that it originates in the prostate and has not been transported there from some other cancer in another part of the body.
The key to any cancer especially of the prostate is to catch the problem as early as possible. For this reason some urologists suggest that all men over forty should have a digital rectal examination once a year.
What makes prostate cancer so deadly is because it is so difficult to detect. Another problem is that it's a silent killer and can show no symptoms at first. By the time it gets painful the cancer has spread to other parts of the body and it is often just a matter of time until it kills the patient.
By the way, if what you have read so far has been enlightening but also disturbing or even frightening, and prompts you to have an annual physical check up, then your reading this will be time well spent and you could have added years to your life.
Urologists classify cancer of the prostate in four stages, two of which may be totally curable providing they are detected in time and stopped.
Classification by Stage
STAGE A or 1
Stage A cancer is silent and the patient doesn't know he has it. It cannot be felt by a digital rectal examination or even suspected for any reason.The stage A of cancer is almost always found when a T.U.R.P. or other operation for B.P.H. is carried out. The removed prostate tissue will show evidence of cancer when examined by a pathologist.
STAGE B or 2
This is usually detected as a lump or hard or firm area on the prostate in two outer lobes during a digital rectal examination. This could be after a man has reported B.P.H. symptoms or during his annual routine physical.
STAGE C or 3
In Stage C the cancer is usually found by a digital rectal examination or after B.P.H. caused examination. In this case much and sometimes all of the prostate that can be felt is hard and firm indicating the cancer. At this stage the cancer has probably spread from the prostate itself into the immediate vicinity.
STAGE D or 4
Incidentally this is the very worst and at the time of writing it cannot be cured, only suppressed. In Stage D the cancer has spread from the prostate into any of the adjoining body areas such as the lymph nodes. By this time the cancer may have spread into the lungs, bones or any part of the body.
The treatment for any of these cancers will obviously vary and depend on how soon or late they are detected. The urologist may suggest radiation treatment, chemotherapy (The use of chemicals) laser surgery, hormone treatment or immunotherapy. (An attempt to build up a patient's natural defences against all diseases including cancer.)
A fairly new treatment for cancer of the prostate is cryosurgery. This involves inserting a probe into the prostate which is positioned directly in the centre of a small tumour. Liquid hydrogen with its extremely cold temperature is then injected through the probe into the cancer, freezing it and destroying the tissues and the cancer cells at the same time.
The services of the medical profession and all its peripheries is something that every human being on this planet needs at some time or other. Indeed no eulogy or praise could adequately express what these dedicated people accomplish in their relentless battle to alleviate the physical and mental suffering of mankind.
However, as with all professional experts in their own particular field, one will sometimes find opinions that not only will vary but in some cases actually conflict, which can be rather confusing for the layman. It must also be remembered that many EXPERT opinions change with every passing decade when additional information comes to light. Hypnotherapy for example is now recognised and accepted far more widely than it was forty years ago.
Pioneers and visionaries are often branded as crackpots and their claims dismissed as preposterous, sometimes without even being investigated, but on many occasions they turn out to be right, even though they may not always live long enough to be recognised.
Next we will examine a few alternative theories and medicines, some of which are not recognised or accepted by the medical profession.