Prevention is better than cure, they say. Many cancers have a well known reason or a predisposing factor which makes the person susceptible to that cancer. Avoiding those reasons and staying away from these known causes may lessen the likelihood of subsequent cancer development. Not all cancers though, have such pre-defined markers of cancer susceptibility or it’s existence available. Currently there is no single way for prostate cancer to be avoided. There are some general factors pertaining to overall good health which are suggested to be applicable to cancer prostate prevention a well. Many potential risk factors such as age, ethnicity, and family history are not amenable to subjective manipulation. Fortunately, there are other maneuvers which can be employed to reduce the risk of its development.
The Physical Status of an Individual
The impact of one’s body weight, physical activity, and diet on the risk of prostate cancer are unclear, but there are some things that can reduce this risk, such as:
- Eat a wide variety of vegetables and fruits daily
- Be physically active
- Maintain a healthy weight
Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements
A diet with large doses of folate, a vitamin B, helps prevent this cancer. The foods that contain it are asparagus, orange juice, spinach, beans, and bananas. Use of tomatoes in regular diet is highly recommended due to the presence of lycopene, which has been linked to lowering prostate cancer risk. A large study to assess the possible effects of selenium and vitamin E on the risk of prostate cancer showed that neither vitamin E nor selenium reduced the risk of prostate cancer. Several studies are currently evaluating the possible effects of soy protein on the risk of prostate cancer.
Medicines
Other medications and dietary supplements that may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer are already being studied in clinical studies. However, no other medication or supplement was found useful in large studies.
Rectal examination
Through this test, the medical specialist will be able to palpate (feel) the prostate and, based on its consistency and texture, can detect a lump (if it exists) or simply discard the possibility of cancer.
This test should be conducted on a yearly basis because it also helps detect other diseases such as hemorrhoids, bleeding in the digestive tract, or colorectal cancer. Simple, right? Decreasing the risks of prostate cancer is in everybodies hands.
Treatment
Oncologists treat prostate cancer as they do all other cancers. There are three types of oncologists:
- Radiation Oncologist: Who treat prostate cancer by different techniques of radiation, i.e., Brachytherapy, Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Proton Beam Therapy.
- Medical Oncologist: Who treat prostate cancer by a combination of hormones and chemotherapy.
- Surgical Oncologist: Who treat prostate cancer by different surgical techniques. One such oncologist who has made stellar contributions to the field of prostate cancer is Dr. Sanjay Razdan, Professor and Chairman of the International Robotic Prostatectomy Institute in Miami, FL. He has pioneered several groundbreaking techniques to improve outcomes of surgical treatment of prostate cancer.
