It’s been said, “Any man who lives long enough will develop prostate cancer, but he is more likely to die of something else.”
Many doctors and patients have been heard repeating that phrase for decades.
It is true, as men age they become more at risk for developing prostate cancer. The older a man is, the greater the chance of getting prostate cancer.
1-out-of-9 men will get the disease. 1-in-39 will die from it.
This isn’t meant to induce anxiety or stress, but rather shed light on the subject and improve prostate cancer awareness.
Who Is At Greater Risk For Prostate Cancer?
All men are at risk of getting prostate cancer.
About 80% of men who reach age 80 have cancer cells in their prostate.
Family Medical History of Prostate Cancer
However, men whose relatives have had prostate cancer are considered to be at higher risk.
Having a father or brother with the disease more than doubles your odds of having prostate cancer.
Having a brother with prostate cancer appears to make it more likely than having a father who does.
Your chances go even higher when multiple family members have the disease.
These men with prostate cancer in their families should start getting screened at the age of 40.
Men without a family history can start prostate screenings at age 50, unless of course, they are experiencing any suspicious symptoms.
Studies have identified several inherited genes that appear to raise the risk of prostate cancer. Experts estimate that the hereditary form of prostate cancer accounts for just 5% to 10% of all cases.
Black and Hispanic Men Are at an Even Greater Risk for Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer happens about 60% more often in African-American men than in white American men. And about 1-in-6 Hispanic men will develop the disease.
And when it is diagnosed, the cancer is more likely to be advanced in these groups because they don’t get regular medical checkups.
Doctors don’t know why different races have different levels of prostate cancer, but they think it’s the combined effects of smoking, alcohol consumption, excess body weight, unhealthy diet and lack of physical exercise.
The diet in these cultures is often rich in fatty and fried foods.
Obesity not only also increases the risk of prostate cancer, but it’s also been proven to increase the aggressiveness of prostate cancer, meaning it progresses through the stages of cancer more quickly.
How To Best Prevent Prostate Cancer
There’s no sure way to prevent prostate cancer but there are things that all men and especially those at higher risk can do to reduce their chances of developing early, aggressive prostate cancer, including:
- Eat Healthily
- Exercise Regularly
- Don’t Smoke
- Drink Alcohol in Moderation
- Talk to your doctor about vitamins that may help prevent prostate cancer including Calcium, Green Tea, Lycopene, Modified Citrus Pectin, Pomegranate, Selenium, Soy & Vitamin D
Be Aware: Prostate cancer is one of those diseases that can sneak up on you. Oftentimes there are no early warning signs, which is why it’s important to get your PSA levels checked starting at age 50 or younger if prostate cancer runs in your family.
Five Warning Signs of Prostate Cancer Include:
A painful or burning sensation during urination or ejaculation
Frequent urination, particularly at night
Difficulty stopping or starting urination
Sudden erectile dysfunction
Blood in urine or semen
Prostate Cancer Treatment in Miami
Should you be diagnosed with prostate cancer, don’t panic.
Oftentimes it can be easily treated.
South Florida residents are lucky, they have the CyberKnife Center of Miami, which has a high success rate treating prostate cancer.
We were the first CyberKnife Center in Miami to open our doors in 2003 and we have the most experienced CyberKnife team in South Florida.
CyberKnife was FDA approved in 2001 and has treated hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide.
The CyberKnife was designed to treat cancer non-invasively, effectively, easily and as quickly as possible, while causing the least disruption to your life or affecting the quality of your life.
The CyberKnife delivers powerful radiation beams to the prostate with pinpoint accuracy, destroying only the tumor and leaving the surrounding tissue unharmed.
This greatly reduces the risk of side effects. Most men say they may feel a bit tired after the treatment session. Many others say it made no difference in how they felt and they went for a run, to the gym or back to work.
CyberKnife treats cancer with 5 radiation therapy sessions, instead of 42 with other types of radiation therapy.
How is CyberKnife different from other treatments for prostate cancer?
The biggest difference, CyberKnife is non-invasive.
There is no cutting, incisions, bleeding, anesthesia, pain, or catheters.
The CyberKnife is not a knife at all. It’s cutting-edge radiation technology also known as Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT).
It delivers powerful doses of radiation with pinpoint accuracy to the tumor from hundreds of different angles, destroying tumors while leaving surrounding healthy tissue unharmed.
All you have to do is lay on the CyberKnife table for about 45 minutes, listen to music, take a nap, while the CyberKnife does all the work.
The CyberKnife was designed to treat cancer effectively in a faster, easier, safer way while maintaining quality of life.
It typically requires 5 radiation sessions over 10 days compared to 42 treatments over 3 months with other types of standard radiation therapy. So it’s much more convenient for busy men or any patient who doesn’t want to spend months going to a cancer center for treatment.
Side effects may include mild fatigue after the treatment session, which usually goes away within a day.
Decades of studies involving hundreds of thousands of patients have shown CyberKnife to be 97-percent effective at curing prostate cancer, producing extremely low levels of toxicity.
Preservation of sexual and urinary function remains the same for most patients after treatment.
For all these reasons, CyberKnife is the number one treatment choice for men with prostate cancer.
If you think we can help you, call the CyberKnife Center of Miami.
Even if your doctor tells you CyberKnife is not an option for you, call a CyberKnife expert for a 2nd opinion, just to make sure. We will let you know one way or another. If you are a candidate you will be very happy you chose CyberKnife instead of surgery or other treatment options.
We have consistent, positive, proven results for prostate cancer treatment.
Our doctors and team are happy to talk to you and answer all of your questions.
Call (305) 279-2900 and go to our prostate cancer website now to learn more or schedule an appointment at www.prostatecancertreatmentmiami.com