What Do You Know About Prostate Health?

It surrounds the upper part of the urethra. This is the tube that carries urine and semen out of the body.

The prostate gland’s main purpose is to secrete a fluid that makes up most of semen. This is the fluid that carries sperm. It’s made in the gland cells of the prostate. During a person’s orgasm, the muscle parts of the prostate help to send the fluid into the urethra. It’s mixed with other fluids and sperm that were made in the testicles to form semen. The semen then leaves the body through the tip of the penis during ejaculation.

As a person ages, the prostate can grow larger. This is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It’s a common condition. BPH is not prostate cancer. It does not turn into prostate cancer. But BPH can cause the prostate to press on the urethra. This can lead to symptoms, such as trouble urinating, which might need to be treated.

Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) is an abnormal prostate growth. It is not prostate cancer. PIN can be low grade or high grade. Low-grade PIN is common, especially as people get older. Healthcare providers don’t consider it to be a concern. People who have high-grade PIN may have a higher risk of developing cancer later. This is especially true if high-grade PIN is found in more than one sample or specimen. A biopsy normally is made up of 12 samples.

In many cases, prostate cancer grows slowly. Because of this, watchful waiting may be a choice for some people. This means keeping an eye on the cancer, seeing how it grows, and having regular tests.

There are many kinds of treatment. The most common is radiation therapy if the cancer is only in the prostate and is low grade. Several types of radiation therapy can be done. Other treatments include hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.

The prostate can be removed with a surgery called radical prostatectomy. This also removes nearby tissues and lymph nodes. Another surgery is called TURP. It uses a small tool to remove part of the inside of the prostate gland that’s blocking urine flow. Another surgery is orchiectomy. The surgery removes the testicles as a part of hormone therapy.

This is actually a part of diagnosing the cancer. The Gleason score is a measure of how abnormal cells look. The score helps guide treatment decisions.