Men and Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men, but it can be treated successfully. It is the second most common cancer occurring worldwide among men and still showing a significant increase. It's of great concern that the number of men being diagnosed with prostate cancer is on the rise.

The prostate is a walnut-sized gland of the male reproductive system, located just below the bladder. Prostate cancer often grows very slowly and may not cause significant harm, but some types are more aggressive and can quickly spread without treatment. In the early stages, men may have no symptoms. During the later stages, symptoms may include frequent passing of urine especially at night, difficulty starting or stopping urination, painful or burning sensations during urination or ejaculation, blood in semen or urine, etc.

Knowledge is power and can change the lives of men so drastically if they are aware of early warning signs and symptoms of prostate cancer. Men ought to encourage one another to invest in their health and ask their doctor for advice on specific cancer screening tests relevant to their age, medical and family history. 

International and local research indicates that the risk for aggressive prostate cancer is higher in black men. Men need to be pro-active about their health and should recognize warning signs. Monthly testicular self-examinations should be encouraged, annual medical check-ups and cancer screening for early detection as symptoms don't always manifest until the cancer has spread. Men also need to lead a healthy balanced lifestyle, cutting out lifestyle factors that increase their cancer risk. Risk factors for prostate cancer include:

-Age 

-Ethnicity

-Family history

-Being obese or overweight, etc.

Simple screening tests to detect prostate cancer whose results will aid early detection, enabling more effective treatment and a better chance of recovery include routine prostate-specific antigen testing.

Although most enlargements of the prostate are not cancerous, regular screening is essential. A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by both cancerous (malignant) and non-cancerous (benign) prostate tissue. High PSA levels may indicate inflammation of the prostate or even cancer. PSA levels can also be established by conducting a blood test.

Cancer patients Caregivers

Becoming a caregiver can be intimidating. 

The role of a caregiver can become so exhausting if you don't find time to care for yourself. Taking time for yourself and learning how you can help your friend or family member will enable you to provide compassionate care and learn more about yourself along the way. Whether newly diagnosed with cancer or a person who has had cancer before, a cancer patient should know that his caregiver or family member might experience some form of emotional stress as part of the natural human response. A caregiver should:

• Try maintaining part of his/her lifestyle: Whether it's having dinner with friends, going to a workout class, or just getting a good book to read will help you reduce stress and be an even stronger support system to the person you are helping fight cancer.
• Find support: Try to talk to others who are in a similar situation. This can help you to cope with feelings of anger, guilt, isolation, fear, sadness, etc.
• Don't be too hard on yourself: Be kind and patient with yourself. It's normal to experience occasional bouts of anger or frustration, alongside the guilt for having those feelings. Try to find a positive way to deal with these feelings.
• Take care of yourself: Make sure you exercise, eat healthy foods, stay hydrated and get enough rest.
• Stay positive: Having a positive attitude can help you set the tone for everything you do and take on.
• Know when you are stressed: Know the signs of stress, for example, sleeplessness, impatience, irritability, etc.
• Take time out: Make time for yourself. Spend time doing something you enjoy with loved ones.
• Be informed: Take time to learn about the cancer diagnosis your loved one has received. Understanding the stages, treatment options, and possible side effects of medications make caring for someone with cancer easier and help you feel more in control.

There are many times with cancer patients, the pressure of dealing with cancer becomes a heavy emotional and mental burden. Cancer affects beyond just the physical effects of a tumor. 

A caregiver should make sure the patient feels he or she is not alone by giving the patient emotional support, physical support, motivating, inspiring and giving the patient hope that they will go through.

What other effective ways can we put in place to avert cancer development.

 The portion of time in an individual's life span that most affect their subsequent risk of developing cancer arises early in life. We do have a restricted ability to prevent cancer. It can happen in spite of an individual's best efforts to follow screening recommendations, eat well, and stay at a healthy weight.

 Cancer prevention should: 

#1: Start early as possible and continue forever. 

Cancer can result from (get more information through these links) http://www.canceradvocacymovement.com/2019/11/behavioural-circumstances-that-favours.html    and  http://www.canceradvocacymovement.com/2019/11/environmental-carcinogens.html

A starting point of healthy eating starts with eating home-made meals. Parents and elderly ones should educate their children and younger ones on how healthy it is consuming organic foods and further show their responsibility to keeping them safe by limiting the availability of processed foods, fried foods, etc.

#2: Know if screening is right for you.

As a healthy individual, cancer is likely not a structured concern for you. But regular screening exams can be used to find cancer early, and it increases the chances of successful treatment. Screening principles tend to be fairly clear on who should be screened and when to start, but they are not always clear on when screening should stop. Cancer screening is a decision that must be made between an individual and their doctor, based on their general health, personal cancer risk, and personal choices. Not all types of cancer have effective screening methods.

Cancer screening has some risks associated with it. Screening tests help doctors find cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage and it may help improve survival. But cancer screening also has several risks, which includes;

•  False positives: Sometimes a screening test will suggest that a person has cancer when they do not.

• Doctors Increased testing: They may run additional tests that a person may not need because of overdiagnosis and false positives. These tests can be physically invasive, costly, and can cause unnecessary stress and worries.

• False reassurance: Sometimes a screening test will suggest that a person does not have cancer when they do. As a result, a person may not get the treatment he or she is supposed to have. 

• Overdiagnosis: Some tests may find slow-growing cancers that would not have caused any harm during an individual's lifetime. As a result, some people may receive potentially harmful, painful, stressful, and/or expensive treatments that they did not need. 

For individuals diagnosed with cancer, they will begin experiencing pain. Treated pains help the patients and give them relieve but untreated pain makes other aspects of cancer symptoms worse. For example; Fatigue, Weakness, Shortness of breath, Nausea, Constipation, Sleep disturbances, Depression, Anxiety, etc.

The pain comes about from the tumor itself, the cancer treatment, or causes unrelated to cancer. A good pain treatment scheme will take care of pain from all causes.

 People with cancer can still have pain from other causes. These include migraines, arthritis, or chronic low back pain. The treatment plan a health care team develops with the individual should include these kinds of pain. Any pain decreases the individual's quality of life. 

Screening practices are also based on certain aspects such as :

-Which type of cancer people should be screened for?

-Which tests should be used to screen for a particular type of cancer?

-What age screening should begin and end?

-How often screening tests should be done?

-What happens if the screening shows positive results?

#3: Daily choices.

We make choices every day that can affect our risks of developing cancer. It is important we get regular exercise, avoid/put an end to tobacco use, limit alcohol consumption and protect ourselves from ultraviolet rays.

#4: Support cancer prevention programs.

In addition to doing what we can to lower our risk of developing cancer, we need to work together to support programs so as to help reduce exposures to carcinogens. Public awareness campaigns are crucial to teaching people worldwide about the various ways to reduce the global risks of developing cancer.