4 6

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ion or

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ery

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gery.

out

f surgery.

esia:

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he most

gery. The

t of the

e urethra.

 of the

y be used

 not too

akes a few

state near

ladder.

only when

arge. The

prostate

relieve the symptoms of BPHuse radiowaves, microwaves,or electrical current.

Prostate CancerProstate cancer is a common typeof cancer among American men.It is most common among AfricanAmerican men. Treatment for prostate cancer works best when thedisease is found early.

Diagnosing Prostate Cancer.

Early prostate cancer does not usuallycause symptoms. As the cancer grows,it may cause trouble urinating. Also,you may need to urinate often, especially at night. Other symptoms canbe pain or burning during urination,blood in the urine or semen, painin the back, hips, or pelvis, and painful ejaculation.

To figure out if these symptoms

are caused by prostate cancer, yourdoctor will ask you questions aboutyour past medical problems. He orshe will perform a physical exam. Inthe exam, the doctor will put a glovedfinger into your rectum to feel yourprostate through the wall of the

p

p

g

(PSA) level in your blood. PSA levelsmay be high in men who have anenlarged prostate gland or prostatecancer. You may also need to havean ultrasound exam. In thisprocedure, a probe thatproduces sound waves is putinto the rectum. Soundwaves bounce off thetissues, and acomputer uses theechoes to make apicture of the prostate

A biopsy is almost always

needed to diagnose prostatecancer. This can be done in adoctor’s office using a local anesthetic. The doctor takes out tinypieces of the prostate and sendsthem to a laboratory to be checkedfor cancer cells under a microscope.

Prostate Cancer Treatment. There

are many ways to treat prostate cancer.The choice of treatment depends onthe stage of the cancer (whether itaffects part of the prostate, involves thewhole prostate, or has spread to otherparts of the body). It also depends on

6
4 6

5

in sex

ion or

 improve

an also

sually,

 medi

ery

rostate

ps are

gery.

out

f surgery.

esia:

 of the

he most

gery. The

t of the

e urethra.

 of the

y be used

 not too

akes a few

state near

ladder.

only when

arge. The

prostate

relieve the symptoms of BPHuse radiowaves, microwaves,or electrical current.

Prostate CancerProstate cancer is a common typeof cancer among American men.It is most common among AfricanAmerican men. Treatment for prostate cancer works best when thedisease is found early.

Diagnosing Prostate Cancer.

Early prostate cancer does not usuallycause symptoms. As the cancer grows,it may cause trouble urinating. Also,you may need to urinate often, especially at night. Other symptoms canbe pain or burning during urination,blood in the urine or semen, painin the back, hips, or pelvis, and painful ejaculation.

To figure out if these symptoms

are caused by prostate cancer, yourdoctor will ask you questions aboutyour past medical problems. He orshe will perform a physical exam. Inthe exam, the doctor will put a glovedfinger into your rectum to feel yourprostate through the wall of the

check the prostate-specific antigen(PSA) level in your blood. PSA levelsmay be high in men who have anenlarged prostate gland or prostatecancer. You may also need to havean ultrasound exam. In thisprocedure, a probe thatproduces sound waves is putinto the rectum. Soundwaves bounce off thetissues, and acomputer uses theechoes to make apicture of the prostate

A biopsy is almost always

needed to diagnose prostatecancer. This can be done in adoctor’s office using a local anesthetic. The doctor takes out tinypieces of the prostate and sendsthem to a laboratory to be checkedfor cancer cells under a microscope.

Prostate Cancer Treatment. There

are many ways to treat prostate cancer.The choice of treatment depends onthe stage of the cancer (whether itaffects part of the prostate, involves thewhole prostate, or has spread to otherparts of the body). It also depends on

6
4 6

5

in sex

ion or

 improve

an also

sually,

 medi

ery

rostate

ps are

gery.

out

f surgery.

esia:

 of the

he most

gery. The

t of the

e urethra.

 of the

y be used

 not too

akes a few

state near

ladder.

only when

arge. The

prostate

relieve the symptoms of BPHuse radiowaves, microwaves,or electrical current.

Prostate CancerProstate cancer is a common typeof cancer among American men.It is most common among AfricanAmerican men. Treatment for prostate cancer works best when thedisease is found early.

Diagnosing Prostate Cancer.

Early prostate cancer does not usuallycause symptoms. As the cancer grows,it may cause trouble urinating. Also,you may need to urinate often, especially at night. Other symptoms canbe pain or burning during urination,blood in the urine or semen, painin the back, hips, or pelvis, and painful ejaculation.

To figure out if these symptoms

are caused by prostate cancer, yourdoctor will ask you questions aboutyour past medical problems. He orshe will perform a physical exam. Inthe exam, the doctor will put a glovedfinger into your rectum to feel yourprostate through the wall of the

check the prostate-specific antigen(PSA) level in your blood. PSA levelsmay be high in men who have anenlarged prostate gland or prostatecancer. You may also need to havean ultrasound exam. In thisprocedure, a probe thatproduces sound waves is putinto the rectum. Soundwaves bounce off thetissues, and acomputer uses theechoes to make apicture of the prostate

A biopsy is almost always

needed to diagnose prostatecancer. This can be done in adoctor’s office using a local anesthetic. The doctor takes out tinypieces of the prostate and sendsthem to a laboratory to be checkedfor cancer cells under a microscope.

Prostate Cancer Treatment. There

are many ways to treat prostate cancer.The choice of treatment depends onthe stage of the cancer (whether itaffects part of the prostate, involves thewhole prostate, or has spread to otherparts of the body). It also depends on

6
s

ymptoms,

e

ney/

Silver Spring, MD 20907-8547800-358-9295 (toll-free)www.ahrq.govAmerican Cancer Society1599 Clifton Road, NEAtlanta, GA 30329800-227-2345 (toll-free)404-320-3333www.cancer.orgThe American Foundation forUrologic DiseaseProstate Health Council1128 North Charles StreetBaltimore, MD 21201800-242-2383 (toll-free)410-468-1800www.afud.org/education/prostate.htmlFor more information on healthand aging, contact:National Institute on AgingInformation CenterP.O. Box 8057Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057800-222-2225 (toll-free)800-222-4225 (TTY toll-free)

11 12

The National Institute on Agingwebsite is www.nia.nih.gov.

Visit NIHSeniorHealth.gov(www.nihseniorhealth.gov), a seniorfriendly website from the NationalInstitute on Aging and the NationalLibrary of Medicine. This simple-touse website features popular healthtopics for older adults. It has largetype and a ‘talking’ function thatreads the text out loud.

U.S. Department of Health andHuman ServicesNational Institutes of HealthOctober 2005
s

ymptoms,

e

ney/

P.O. Box 8547Silver Spring, MD 20907-8547800-358-9295 (toll-free)www.ahrq.govAmerican Cancer Society1599 Clifton Road, NEAtlanta, GA 30329800-227-2345 (toll-free)404-320-3333www.cancer.orgThe American Foundation forUrologic DiseaseProstate Health Council1128 North Charles StreetBaltimore, MD 21201800-242-2383 (toll-free)410-468-1800www.afud.org/education/prostate.htmlFor more information on healthand aging, contact:National Institute on AgingInformation CenterP.O. Box 8057Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057800-222-2225 (toll-free)800-222-4225 (TTY toll-free)

11 12

The National Institute on Agingwebsite is www.nia.nih.gov.

Visit NIHSeniorHealth.gov(www.nihseniorhealth.gov), a seniorfriendly website from the NationalInstitute on Aging and the NationalLibrary of Medicine. This simple-touse website features popular healthtopics for older adults. It has largetype and a ‘talking’ function thatreads the text out loud.

U.S. Department of Health andHuman ServicesNational Institutes of HealthOctober 2005
s

ymptoms,

e

ney/

P.O. Box 8547Silver Spring, MD 20907-8547800-358-9295 (toll-free)www.ahrq.govAmerican Cancer Society1599 Clifton Road, NEAtlanta, GA 30329800-227-2345 (toll-free)404-320-3333www.cancer.orgThe American Foundation forUrologic DiseaseProstate Health Council1128 North Charles StreetBaltimore, MD 21201800-242-2383 (toll-free)410-468-1800www.afud.org/education/prostate.htmlFor more information on healthand aging, contact:National Institute on AgingInformation CenterP.O. Box 8057Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057800-222-2225 (toll-free)800-222-4225 (TTY toll-free)

11 12

The National Institute on Agingwebsite is www.nia.nih.gov.

Visit NIHSeniorHealth.gov(www.nihseniorhealth.gov), a seniorfriendly website from the NationalInstitute on Aging and the NationalLibrary of Medicine. This simple-touse website features popular healthtopics for older adults. It has largetype and a ‘talking’ function thatreads the text out loud.

U.S. Department of Health andHuman ServicesNational Institutes of HealthOctober 2005