Introduction
A prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system. Just like any organ of the human body this organ can also get infected and have prostate cancer and prostatic diseases. A prostate is usually 3 cm long (1 inch) and it surrounds the tube that carries fluid out of the male penis. This liquid is urine or sperm. The prostate’s main function is during ejaculation. The prostate produces and adds a white milky fluid into the sperm which is normally 20-30% semen. Cancer is when cells start multiplying in an organ uncontrollably. These multiplied cells together form what we call a tumor. This tumor, hence, keeps on multiplying cells and can spread into other organs of the body infecting other tissues and cells causing prostate cancer and prostatic diseases.
History
The kind of tumor that can spread into other tissues is considered malignant. If it is not malignant then it poses no harm to anybody but should be removed if causing problem to the organ it is present in. This is because tumors overwhelm the tissues around them as they grow and cover all the space and oxygen that is needed for the cells and tissues to survive and function properly. Prostate cancer is normally slow-growing and most of the times due to slow growth can be symptomless. Although cases of aggressive growth of prostate cancer and prostatic diseases exist, they aren’t that common. This disease can be caused by many factors. Genetics, exposure to specific medication or even due to diet but there is not much strong evidence linking unhealthy diet to prostate cancer.
Features
Theories suggest that prostate cancer and prostatic diseases can be viral but there is not much proof that supports this theory. This theory is supported by US researchers but some German scientists failed to find any proof or evidence to support it. There are prostatic diseases other than cancer also. Prostatitis is an infection in the prostate gland causing inflammation. These are usually categorized into four groups. Acute and chronic bacterial Prostatitis are the first two categories. These are very uncommon and can easily be cured through the use of antibiotics. The third is chronic non-bacterial which is the most common diagnosis and is treated with a combination of antibiotics and drugs, sometimes even surgery. The last is relatively uncommon in diagnosis and is a kind of Leukocytosis which is a rise in the number of white blood cells in the body.
Tips and comments
Today a lot of males in the general population are being diagnosed with prostate cancer and prostatic diseases. It is in particular common in older men. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) makes urination more difficult as it enlarges the prostate gland. Sometimes it causes the gland to grow so large that urinating becomes painful or almost impossible. You can point it out if you are taking frequent trips to the bathroom to urinate or taking too long to get started. Luckily this disease can also be easily cured with a combination of drugs. Some extreme cases require surgery in which the prostate itself is completely removed.
