Prostate cancer: causes and warning signs
Written by:Mr Petr Holy is a consultant urological surgeon in Kingston upon Thames who we recently caught up with to find out more about prostate cancer.
We spoke with him to discuss the main causes of this disease alongside the signs and symptoms.
What causes prostate cancer?
We don’t know entirely because prostate cancer exists only in patients that have testosterone. Women are at lower risk. Here are some risk factors that may be familiar associations within family or genetic factors but we don’t know entirely what starts the process.
It’s quite a common condition many patients have very low-risk prostate cancer and they may not be very aware of that, it may even be half the population above 55 at risk.
Family history is the strongest risk factor for prostate cancer and racial factors are also impact as some races are more predisposed than others. Nine out of 10 cases are through hereditary disease and other risk factors associated with prostate cancer are either obesity, diabetes and dietary factors as well as alcohol, dairy products or fats.
Studies show that soy consumption may lower the risk of prostate cancer by lowering PSA levels. High or low levels of vitamin D levels are a risk factor. It is known that high consumption of alcohol and red meat is associated with an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.
If you are balding you may be at higher risk. Currently, smoking is also associated with higher risk and a number of factors that were previously linked. Vasectomy and some use of aspirin and non-steroidal drugs also increase the risk.
Other factors that impact some people are:
- mainly dependant on age.
- genetic factors associated with aggressive prostate cancer.
- environmental factors also influence the rates of prostate cancer.
Vitamin E or selenium do not prevent it. Testosterone therapy in men with testosterone deficiency does not appear to increase prostate cancer risk.
What are the warning signs of prostate cancer?
There are no obvious clinical signs of prostate cancer. That aim is to diagnose it quickly and on time so that you can offer a most effective treatment. However, at the early stages the cancer has no clear symptoms whatsoever. However, if the prostate cancer has progressed and is advanced and causing issues, it may present with pain, difficulties to pass urine and may cause blockage of kidneys preventing with renal function, metazoic stress to bone and fracture pain.
We would need to determine if it is early or late stage. In early cases, it's typically silent. The only way to determine who is at in high risk, is through blood tests that check the measures the level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or through checking hereditary predisposition; if a third-degree relative has it or if at least two relatives who developed it before the age of 55. So, if you either have two relatives that have been diagnosed with it before 55 or if you have elevated PCA levels in blood tests.
For prostate cancer screening you may like to get in contact with a leading urological surgeon such as Mr Petr Holy. Visit his Top Doctors profile today for more information.
