Prostate Cancer: What Men Need To Know
Memorial Hermann offers comprehensive care when it comes to treating prostate cancer.
Olubayo Tojuola, MD, is a urologist with Memorial Hermann Medical Group.
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men next to skin cancer. It’s estimated that nearly 300,000 men will be diagnosed and nearly 35,000 will die of the disease this year. Olubayo Tojuola, MD, talks about the disease, the signs, symptoms and treatments.
Q: What is prostate cancer?
Dr. Tojuola: It’s cancer that occurs in the prostate, which is part of the male reproductive system and is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The main type of cancer we see in the prostate is adenocarcinoma, but we also can find neuroendocrine cancer. The interesting thing about prostate cancer is that we only usually see symptoms when the disease is locally advanced. This is why we encourage men of a certain age to get screened on a yearly basis.
Q: What is the screening process?
Dr. Tojuola: The main screening tool we use right now is called a Prostate-Specific Antigen or PSA test. PSA is a protein made only in the prostate, and when cancer is present, the amount of PSA is elevated in the blood stream. We recommend men at average risk get screened starting at age 50, and those with a famly history get screened between ages 40 and 45. A normal PSA level is between 4 and 4.5, but if you are in your early 50s, your level should be less than 2. There are a few reasons why your PSA level might be high, so it’s important to have a conversation with your urologist to determine why the number is elevated and how to treat it. In addition to the PSA test, we have also found that Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the prostate and other genomic markers that have been developed, involving urine or blood tests, are also used to screen in some cases.
Q: What are the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer?
Dr. Tojuola: The main symptoms include the inability to urinate, because the bladder has been blocked off, blood in the urine, weight loss, night sweats or bone pain. Sometimes a man might experience abdominal or pelvic pain. Age and family history are two of the main reasons why a man could develop prostate cancer. Ethnicity can also be a factor. Due to multiple variables, we tend to find more aggressive prostate cancer in African American men.
Q: How do you treat prostate cancer?
“Age and family history are two of the main reasons why a man could develop prostate cancer. Ethnicity can also be a factor. Due to multiple variables, we tend to find more aggressive prostate cancer in African American men.”
Dr. Tojuola: It’s very important to understand the patient’s disease biology before deciding on a treatment regimen. Some prostate cancers might be aggressive, while some may lie dormant. Active surveillance is a treatment option recommended if the cancer is less aggressive. This involves monitoring the situation and advancing to treatment, if necessary. For the more aggressive cancer, we can perform surgery to remove the prostate. In addition, a patient can undergo radiation treatment that is pinpointed to the affected area. Cryoabalation, which is a procedure that uses gas to freeze and extinguish abnormal cells or diseased tissue, has also been effective and, in some cases, high-frequency ultrasound is used.
To find a urologist near you, or to learn more about men’s preventive care, visit memorialhermann.org/ menshealth