HEALTH DR ROD PEARCE Avoiding prostate check THE BIGGER RISK 33 penis, like a doughnut, so as it gets unlike a woman's breast for cancer ­ bladder), any surgery will be Police Journal "Because they need prostate examinations." If that is bigger it makes the hole for the urine to not easily examined. And, on a visit to complicated by the risk of damaging the answer what might be get out smaller (that is, the hole in the the doctor, most men look forward the bladder, the valves, the erection the question? doughnut gets smaller). least to the prostate examination. mechanism of the penis and other Why do men hate seeing their Prostate enlargement is a natural A doctor can feel a patient's prostate tissue in the pelvis (muscles and doctors? Why do men have rectal April 2005 part of the ageing process. By the by inserting his or her finger through the bowel). examinations? Why do men die of time a man got to be 100 years old, he rectum. Problematic is that the doctor New surgical methods might prostate cancer? would almost certainly have had his can feel only part of the prostate (being decrease the side effects. But, for a This, essentially, is all too hard for ability to urinate strangled by his a doughnut) in such an examination. very small cancer, major surgery with www men, and so they just go on dying of enlarged prostate. If the cancer is big enough, the many complications has raised concern .policejournalsa.org.au prostate cancer in greater numbers The problem is that urinary retention doctor can feel it and start treatment. If that such surgery is too aggressive for than necessary. is painful, and needs to be fixed. Left the cancer is small or in the wrong the possible minor cancer. But, for once, it is not actually the untreated it is fatal. position, he or she cannot feel it. The other thought is that an men's fault. The situation is made The operation done now is a TURP. The blood test becomes the next operation on a curable cancer is worth worse by the fact that men do not see Also known as a "rebore", the trans check. The trouble with this is that many years of incontinence, impotence their doctors often enough, but urethral resection of the prostate is prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a and other bladder problems. prostate cancer is still difficult to detect done by an instrument being put into normal protein of the prostate. A blood So complicated is the whole scenario early, and treat without complications. the end of the penis and cutting away test can easily detect PSA, but anything that the only way to proceed is to talk We still argue over whether more that damages the prostate will make the to a doctor about your particular men are helped by early treatment the prostate from the inside (making PSA leak into the bloodstream. situation. There are so many compared to those damaged by the donut hole bigger). A blood test with a high PSA only possibilities ­ the one you face might surgery or radiotherapy that might not The good thing here is that no tells if the prostate has been damaged actually be simple. have been necessary. external cut is needed. The problem is ­ it does not tell if cancer exists. A high Also, new advances give more Despite all this, I think the tide has that the valves that help hold the urine PSA might mean an infection so, to options, and some of them are better. turned. Probably, now, we help more in the bladder can be damaged. see if there is a cancer, needle biopsies We now, in the last two years, have a men than we harm. It is time, men, to Not usually a problem is occasional may have to be done. new form of radiotherapy that has see your doctor for the prostate check. leaking urine (incontinence) as a Usually, 18 needles are stuck into the revolutionized treatment and highlights Even though we do better than consequence of this surgery. Still, prostate through the rectum to biopsy the ongoing changes that make this a before, the situation is still better than a permanent catheter, the the doughnut of the prostate. Still complicated topic. complicated. TURP is considered a good, quick and cancer can be missed or, alternatively, Not complicated, however, is seeing Prostate disease comes in two main satisfactory outcome from the benign a very small cancer can be detected. your doctor. But this remains the rate- types: benign (non-cancer) prostatic prostate enlargement. If prostate cancer is found, the next limiting step. It is better at least to enlargement, and prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the growth of a thing is to take out the prostate or give consider and reject a treatment option As men get older, the prostate gets cancer from somewhere inside the it a blast of radiotherapy. Because of than to be told that, had you seen a bigger. It is situated around the outflow prostate (doughnut). 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