Prostate

what is prostate
prostate cancer
benign hyperplasia of Prostate
Causes and Symptoms
Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer
Screening
Tumor Markers
Treatment Options

what is prostate?
Along with the testicles and the seminal vesicles, the prostate secretes the fluid that makes up semen. The prostate is about the size of a walnut and lies just behind the urinary bladder.

Prostate cancer is a disease in which cells of the prostate become abnormal and start to grow uncontrollably, forming tumors.[g]

Cancerous cells within the prostate itself are generally not deadly on their own.

Most common sites for prostate cancer to metastasize are the seminal vesicles, the lymph nodes, the lungs, and various bones around the hips and the pelvic region. The effects of these new tumors are what can cause death.

Second only to skin cancer, the American Cancer Society estimates that in 2000 at least 180,400 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed. Of this number, the disease will cause at least 31,900 deaths. Although prostate cancer is often very slow growing, it can be aggressive, especially in younger men. Given its slow growing nature, many men with the disease die of other causes rather than from the cancer itself.

Prostate cancer affects African-American men twice as often as white men
— Lata Cherath; Michelle Johnson, MS, JD
Early prostate cancer

It was reported in April 2007 that a new blood test for early prostate cancer antigen-2 (EPCA-2) is being researched that may alert men if they have prostate cancer and how aggressive it will be.[a][b]

One herbal compound that was under investigation by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)a mixture of eight herbs adapted from traditional Chinese medicine.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that samples of the product were contaminated with undeclared prescription drug ingredients. PC-SPES was withdrawn from the American market in late 2002.

PSA levels may increase after ejaculation. Men are recommended to abstain from sexual intercourse or masturbation for 48 hours before the test. PSA levels may also increase after prostate manipulation following the digital rectal exam

Tumor markers [tumor markers tumor marker levels sometimes help to determine the extent of cancer.]

Monitoring cancer treatment is the most common use of tumor markers.
. PCA3 mRNA is expressed almost exclusively by prostate cells and has been shown to be highly over-expressed in prostate cancer cells. PCA3 is not a replacement for PSA but an additional tool to help decide if, in men suspected of having prostate cancer, a biopsy is really needed. The higher the expression of PCA3 in urine, the greater the likelihood of a positive biopsy, i.e. the presence of cancer cells in the prostate. Company Diagnocure has an exclusive worldwide license for all diagnostic and therapeutic applications related to PCA3
http://www.answers.com/topic/alternative-medicine
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http://www.answers.com/topic/prostate-cancer#cite_note-pmid17437801-79