Is prostate cancer found to be 'advanced'? Expert: After the age of 50, it is best for men to check up once a year

"Is there any medicine for my dad? How long can I live?"

Uncle Wang (surname Hua) is 65 years old this year. During a physical examination in his hometown hospital, he found that the prostate-specific antigen ( PSA ) was elevated , more than ten times the normal value. However, due to the "special" part, Uncle Wang felt that this was a disgraceful thing, so he never went for a review.

Two months later, Uncle Wang became thinner, tired, and weak . At the strong request of his daughter, they went to Hangzhou University Hospital for medical treatment. The urologist checked Uncle Wang's data and found that his PSA was 54ng/ml. Combined with B-ultrasound observation, he suspected early prostate cancer . He was advised to be hospitalized as soon as possible and undergo prostate biopsy.

After being hospitalized, Uncle Wang's PSA index soared to 1000ng/ml + , and the results of puncture and ECT bone scan also showed that Uncle Wang suffered from prostate cancer with multiple bone metastases throughout his body, making him inoperable.

Source: The Second Hospital of Zhejiang University

Knowing that her father had lost the opportunity for surgery, the daughter cried to the doctor for help: 3 years ago, her mother passed away from ovarian cancer, and her father could not repeat the tragedy.

After discussion, the doctor suggested a new type of endocrine drug treatment first, and if necessary, targeted therapy based on the results of genetic testing. At present, Uncle Wang is still taking medicine, but his condition has been brought under control, and he can travel with his daughter.

In China, prostate cancer is mostly in the middle and late stage

Globally, prostate cancer has become the second most common cancer in men . As a country with a large population, the aging process of the population is accelerating in China, and the incidence of prostate cancer is also rising rapidly. According to a survey by the China Anti-Cancer Association, the incidence of prostate cancer in China in 2020 is about 15.6/100,000, and the incidence of people aged 55 to 65 has increased, and there is a trend of advancing age .

For prostate cancer, the following four types of people are high-risk groups, and more attention should be paid:

① People over the age of 50 . The incidence of prostate cancer is highly related to age , and the incidence rate of men after the age of 50 will increase significantly.

② People with a family history of prostate cancer . Clinical statistics show that about one-tenth of the patient's family has suffered from prostate cancer.

③ People with greasy diet . The prostate is "fearful of oil". Frequent consumption of high-fat foods in life will lead to excessive intake of saturated fatty acids and increase the risk of prostate cancer.

④ People with strong androgen secretion , prostate cancer is easily stimulated by androgen, and patients need to take medicine to control the level of androgen during treatment.

In China, many prostate cancer patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage and have metastasis, which is mainly related to two reasons.

The first is insufficient screening awareness . Early screening of prostate cancer is particularly important, but the Chinese people's awareness of physical examination screening is not strong, among which PSA examination helps to detect early prostate cancer. Secondly, prostate cancer generally has no symptoms in the early stage and is relatively hidden. Even if there are symptoms, it is easy to be regarded as other urinary tract diseases, and it is easy to be ignored by patients.

After a man is 50 years old, learn 2 tricks to find out in advance

At present, the awareness of early screening of prostate cancer has not been fully popularized in China, especially in rural areas with limited medical conditions. Men after the age of 50 should be actively screened.

Professor Ye Dingwei of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology said that in China, more than two-thirds of prostate cancer patients were diagnosed as advanced or locally advanced, missing the best opportunity for treatment, and the mortality rate of advanced prostate cancer is relatively high. He called on everyone to pay attention to early prostate screening and protect the "life gland".

Men over the age of 50 want to detect prostate cancer early, there are two ways to learn:

1. Pay attention to the symptoms of prostate cancer, such as:

·Long-term frequent urination, urgency, painful urination, endless urination and other urination disorders;

Unexplained fever, weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite, etc.;

Pain during sexual intercourse, or blood in the semen;

Localized infiltrative symptoms, pain or stiffness in the lower back, buttocks, pelvis, or thighs.

2. Do PSA screening every year

Prostate-specific antigen ( PSA ) screening is an early screening method. It is recommended that ordinary men should be checked once a year after the age of 50, and high-risk groups should be checked once a year after the age of 45 .

Clinically, the treatment methods for prostate cancer include surgical treatment, endocrine therapy, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, targeted therapy , etc., which are selected according to the disease condition and the patient's physical condition. For inoperable patients, endocrine drug therapy is mainly used to remove androgen in the body and inhibit the activity of androgen.

For localized prostate cancer (without metastasis), radical prostatectomy is the first choice , but it may bring some complications, such as urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction, urethral stricture, etc.

Usually do 5 more things to stay away from prostate cancer

If men can do these things well in advance, they can reduce the incidence of prostate cancer to a certain extent.

1. Control waist circumference

A study of 218,225 men , presented at the European and International Conference on Obesity, found that central obesity ( abdominal and waist obesity ) increases the risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer .

Central obesity not only makes men more prone to prostate cancer, but also makes the disease progress faster and increases the risk of death. It is recommended that men maintain a healthy waist circumference (<85cm) to prevent central obesity and reduce the risk of prostate cancer incidence and death.

2. Healthy sexual behavior

Wearing condoms correctly, unhealthy sex life will increase the chance of prostate exposure to pathogens and the risk of prostate diseases. If chronic infection is stimulated repeatedly for a long time, it may also cause epithelial cell cancer, especially gonorrhea infection.

3. Change your diet

Eat a healthy diet, limiting your intake of high-fat foods and increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables. A low-fat and healthy diet can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. It can appropriately increase high-quality fats such as beans, fish, and milk, and reduce the intake of foods such as margarine, ice cream, butter, and fatty meat.

4. Active exercise

Keep exercising for at least 30 minutes each time for more than 5 days a week, or exercise for at least 50 minutes each time for more than 3 days to consume excess body fat, reduce obesity, control weight, and reduce the risk of cancer.

5. Living habits

Avoid bad habits such as smoking, drinking, and sitting for a long time. Prolonged sitting can cause pressure on the prostate. It is recommended to stand up and move around for a few minutes after sitting for more than 50 minutes. Avoid holding back urine and drink plenty of water to promote urination.

Middle-aged and elderly men should pay attention to their own abnormal symptoms, check regularly, and don't delay the diagnosis and treatment of prostate diseases because of neglect or shyness.

References:

[1] Oxford University research: Men with this body type have a high risk of prostate cancer and a high risk of death, Academic Jingwei, 2020-09-05

[2] The incidence of prostate cancer has the performance of "advancing age". Wen Wei Po. 2021-11-02

[3] Standards for Diagnosis and Treatment of Prostate Cancer. National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, 2018 Edition

[4] He Jie, Chen Wanqing, Li Ni, et al. Guidelines for Screening and Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Prostate Cancer in China (2022, Beijing) [J]. Chinese Journal of Oncology, 2022, 44(1):25.

[5] Xiaowen. How to prevent prostate cancer[J]. Jiangsu Health Care, 2016.

Reprinting is prohibited without the author's permission