To the best of my understanding, the review article ‘Watchful waiting for prostate cancer’ discusses early detection and treatment of prostate cancer whilst questioning the efficacy of aggressive treatment in comparison to other methods such as watchful waiting (or delayed, conservative therapy). “Watchful waiting is an approach to a medical problem in which time is allowed to pass before medical intervention or therapy is used. During this time repeated medical testing may be performed”. The rationalization for this method was that no previous research ever showed local therapy having a better survival outcome for its patients.
This review article obtained from the journal Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Disease is evidently written for oncologists and practitioners dealing with treatment plans for patients with any type of cancer, however, specifically those with prostate cancer. It should help with the assessment of the effectiveness of aggressive treatment in more depth before administering it as an early treatment to stop metastases. This article is also a great reflection of the journal that ‘covers all aspects of prostatic diseases, in particular prostate cancer’, indicating its usual audience are also those from the medical community.
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Cancer biology can be defined as the ‘study of irregularities and incontrollable growth of individual cells, tissue or organ in any organisms’ thus prostate cancer as one form. In addition to this I also feel there are other disciplines seeing within this research, such as structural biology (shape and organization of biological macromolecules) and endocrinology (glands and hormones), relevant when discussing PSA testing. The discipline of cell biology (e.g. study of cell life) and
Today, prostate cancer is usually detected through screening, and there are two methods for early detection. The prostate-specific antigen test (PSA) is used, but there are
In the case for PSA screening, PCa is the leading internal malignancy in US men and the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Early detection of prostate cancers offers the best chance of cure. The PSA blood test is the best chance of cure. Currently, the PSA blood test is the best currently available way to detect PCa and it is easy, safe and inexpensive. PSA test results is a piece of information, it is what doctors do with the information that becomes the issue. However, the great majority of PSA detected tumors have the histologic characteristics of clinically important cancers. Also, PSA detection has found tumors early advancing the diagnosis by Seeral years (5-13) and prostate cancer mortality rates in U.S have decreased by 4% (patho book) since 1992, which is 5 years after initiation of prostate screenings. The dilemma is over treating the clinically unimportant disease versus under
Another method to detect this cancer is with a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). Protein in the blood that is produced only by prostate cells is reflected the volume of both benign and malignant prostate tissue in the PSA. The higher the PSA level is the more likely it is that Prostate Cancer present. (“Prostate
Make this November about prostate cancer and raise awareness with “Movember.” Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of men’s cancer, second to skin cancer. And it is also one of the leading causes of cancer death for men, according to the American Cancer Society. Making medical advice essential this Movember.
The first reason being the level accuracy of PSA testing is questionable. The test determines a positive for the cancer based on the levels of prostate-specific antigens in the blood of the patient, which can be abnormally high for multiple other reasons not related to prostate cancer. The major evidence supporting said claim is that individuals with more than 4.0 ng per mL (the threshold to test positive) can have false positive rates of 70% (Mulhem 2). The second reason would be the implications of testing positive for prostate cancer, including but not limited to unnecessary treatment of the disease. While the analysis does not back up unnecessary treatment with any statistical evidence, it does go to explain further tests and procedures to confirm and understand the nature of the patient’s condition. This bleeds over to the negative physical and psychological side-effects of regular prostate cancer screening cited by the analysis. Mulhem explains that after testing positive for prostate cancer, more tests are performed to determine the accuracy of the screening and if so, reveal the specificities of the cancer. The most common of these tests being the prostate biopsy, a procedure that causes a significant portion of participants to develop moderate to severe problems requiring a follow-up with their doctor (Mulhem
Second is age- and race-specific PSA reference ranges. Age- and race-specific PSA reference ranges compare the PSA test results among men in the same group. Third is Percent-free PSA (fPSA) is the percentage of the total PSA that is unbound. Evidence suggests that fPSA is lower in men who have prostate cancer compared with men who do not. Fourth are the complexed PSA (cPSA) test measures the amount of bound PSA circulating in the blood. Fifth is the PSA density (PSAD) which is a test sometimes used by doctors in patients who have a large prostate gland. To determine PSAD, the PSA value (ng/mL) is divided by the volume (size in cubic centimeters) of the prostate. The size of the prostate gland is determined by Tran’s rectal ultrasound (TRUS), a procedure that uses sound waves to create a picture of the prostate. ( (Diagnosis))
Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer share a few similarities, elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Along with enlargement of prostate gland that causes urinary symptoms such as, frequent urination, hesitancy, dribbling, and frequent nighttime urination. However, they are quite different which is why more tests need to be done to confirm one or the other condition. These two diseases are also similar in the fact that they both cause an enlargement of the prostate. However with BPH the central portion of the prostate is enlarged and with prostate cancer more commonly the lateral lobes or side of the prostate are enlarged, but can affect any were on the prostate. Both can even be detected by a digital rectal exam however
Three elements which work together to create a good gothic story are suspense, terror, and effectiveness. However, it is questionable whether or not all three factors would have to be present in order to create a decent story. In the story “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll come to you, My Lad,” all of these factors contribute to the making and quality of the story. However, not all of these factors contribute in the same ways. In the story “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll come to you, My Lad,” suspense did not play a huge role, it was slightly terrifying, still yet it was very effective.
The types of treatment vary depending on which stage the cancer is found, the age, overall health of the individual, and life expectancy (American cancer society, 2015). Each stage has different treatments available so picking just one type of treatment would not be easy. According to the American Cancer Society, there are 2 types of staging, clinical and pathologic, with 4 categories, T1-T4, for this particular type of cancer. Although there is more than one system used to stage this type of cancer, most prostate specialists now use the TNM system. There are many factors and subcategories of each stage as well.
Prostate cancer is considered as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, in the U. S and most cases of prostate cancer have a good prognosis. Some of these cases can be aggressive and the death-rate is assessed to be 2.8%. The Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is used for screening for prostate cancer, to aid early detection and treatment.
In my research I found that if a patient has a radical prostatectomy he would have several weeks of recovery and also a catheter is put into the penis to drain the bladder for 1 to 2 weeks while they heal. With external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) they use MRI’s and CT scans to obtain the location of the tumor cells, they also have a 3-D
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer and it is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men according to the American Cancer Society(ACS) ( 2016). Older age is the strongest risk factor for the development of prostate cancer. Approximately 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime (ACS, 2016). There are more than 2.9 million prostate cancer survivors in the United States (ACS, 2016). The risk of dying from prostate cancer is 2.9 percent, with seventy percent of deaths occurring after age 75(ACS, 2016; Howlader, Krapcho, Neyman,Aminou et al, 2011). The use of the prostate-specific antigen testing transformed prostate cancer screening in the 1990’s (Up to date) . PSA screening for prostate
After carefully researching the different types of treatments available to treat prostate cancer, I realized that similar to many things in medicine every case is circumstantial and vary from one patient to another. Some of the things to consider when choosing the best or appropriate treatments are: what stage is the cancer in, the patient’s age, medical history, side effects of the treatment and most importantly is it right for the patient. Although it might be ranked one of the most successful treatments doesn’t mean it is perfect for you. It is very important that the patient has a good relationship with their doctor so that they can both choose the best plan of action. It is very important that the patient knows that if one treatment doesn’t work there are other approaches that can be taken.
This report provides a holistic scope of prostate cancer (PCa) from prevention, pathology, diagnostic screening, pharmacology, and treatment methods. It also incorporates statistical data, and provides a case study that helps the prospective nursing student to analyze its implications for their practice. The current methods for PCa diagnostics is often times not conclusive, and this causes a controversial decision to be made by the patient and the healthcare provider to either perform a surgery to remove the prostate, or a wait-and-see method of progression. The gold standard for diagnostic screening for PCa has long been prostate specific antigen (PSA); however newer methods are coming to light that enhance the PCA screening by adding additional biomarkers and advanced algorithms that help to reduce over-diagnosis of PCa. The bright side to this disease is two-fold: it mainly effects those in older age, and early detection can account for a 95% success rate up to 15 years after detection.
Waiting… waiting is described by Merriam-Webster as verb of to look forward expectantly. Waiting is a game that never ends, once one presented with the time or object one is waiting on, the process beings all again. Nail biting worrying waiting, waiting to see if we got the big promotion or if we passed the test that one chose to just wing. Waiting can be an enjoyable game, it can help see where life takes one but on the other hand waiting can be neve racking horrible game. We wait on the abundant aroma of the plentifully Thanksgiving meal that is received each November of juicy turkey and cloud like potato soufflé. Once Thanksgiving passes one beings to wait on the jolly big man all dressed in red to make a fall down the smut filled chimney. One impatiently waits on traffic jams to clear up, while the old prissy lady driving a Bentley is beeping her horn because the traffic light is making her late to yoga class, but what if one was waiting on something that they could not live without. This object is necessary for life to go on, instead of playing the waiting game of did one pass the non- hard if one’s study test but what if the game was a game of life and death. Instead of counting days until the abundant aroma of the plentifully Thanksgiving meal, it was how many days until one dies because they are in need of an organ to sustain life and all it has to offer. This is the thought of more than 4,500 Georgians who are currently waiting for an organ transplant according to