Prostate Cancer
Early Detection and Active Prevention
Prostate carcinoma, also called prostate cancer, is a malignant tumour of the prostate gland in men. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Germany. According to the Robert Koch Institute, about 63,400 new cases are diagnosed nationwide every year. The average age is just over 70, while the disease is rare before the age of 50.
Prostate cancer is usually found in the outer region of the prostate gland so it can be easily felt by the doctor by inserting the finger into the rectum during an examination. The doctor may suspect cancer if he can feel hard lumps. In the early stages, however, the touch test may reveal nothing. There are also no symptoms so screening is of utmost importance.
Take Precautionary Examinations at an Early Stage
Screening is particularly important and recommended for prostate cancer. The statutory health insurance pays for this test once a year for men who are 45 of age and over. Early detection of prostate cancer prior to the appearance of symptoms is crucial to the chances of recovery because symptoms usually signal the disease has already reached an advanced stage.
Prostate cancer also narrows the urethra and causes
- difficulty in urinating
- a weakened urinary stream
- subsequent residual urine to form and
- urinary retention.
Other symptoms include pain in the prostate, severe pain in the lower back, pelvis, hips, or thighs, less strong erection or impotence, and weakened ejaculation. Bone metastases can also develop, mainly in the lumbar region.
As benign prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia) has the same symptoms, further tests for the diagnosis of prostate cancer must be carried out.
Clarification of the Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer
A substance is formed in the prostate (prostate specific antigen, PSA), which can be detected not only in the semen, but also in the blood. This makes detection much easier. In patients with prostate cancer, the PSA level is often increased. However, high PSA levels are also found in prostate inflammation and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Initial testing of PSA levels is recommended from the age of 40.
An ultrasound-guided twelve-core punch biopsy, using the »CORAZOR®« biopsy device and puncture cannulas from UROMED has become today’s standard for investigating suspected prostate cancer and yields significantly more accurate results compared to the conventional sextant biopsy, thus enabling more precise diagnosis.
Prostate cancer usually originates from the glandular cells and therefore belongs to the group of so-called adenocarcinomas. If the prostate enlargement is due to cancer, treatment depends to a large extent on the biological properties of the diagnosed tumour, whether it is benign or malignant, and whether metastasis has already occurred. The tissue samples collected will indicate this.
The more precise the tissue samples are, the better it is to select the appropriate treatment or therapeutic options, so UROMED supports targeted sampling and thus targeted diagnostics with the »CORAZOR®« biopsy system.