Prostate cancer nursing homework help

Prostate cancer nursing homework help

Prostate cancer is the cancer of the prostate characterized by the development of cancerous cells in the prostate, a male reproductive organ. Like any other type of cancer, prostate cancer is life-threatening. Research findings by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reveal that all men are at risk of prostate cancer. A man’s risk of prostate cancer increases with age. It is among the cancer types that affect most men in the United States from different ethnic backgrounds. Females are not affected by the cancer since it is an organ present among people assigned to males at birth (AMAB). In a man’s body, the prostate glands are responsible for secreting the fluid that combines with semen to ensure the sperms are healthy enough to make a female conceive. Therefore, developing prostate cancer affects a man’s reproductive health in various ways, such as impairing their sexual functioning and their fertility.

Indicators of prostate cancer

With the life-threatening nature of prostate cancer, it is important to understand some of the symptoms of the disease to ensure taking necessary precautions or steps such as going for tests and getting the required interventions. A man should suspect the possibility of having prostate cancer when experiencing erectile dysfunction, blood in the semen, blood in the urine, difficulty when passing out urine, and also when having a reduced force in the urine stream. Besides, the disease can also cause a person to experience bone pain.

For exact or related symptoms, an individual should make haste in seeking a doctor’s help.

Generally, prostate cancer shows symptoms after advancing. However, an individual does not show the above-stated symptoms when in the early stages. That is why it is recommended for men to ensure regular cancer screening to detect it early enough for effective treatment.

What are the causes of prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is a common health threat to the male population. Therefore, the males should understand the causes of the cancer and determine how best to lower their exposure to the disease.

So, let us discuss some of the causes of prostate cancer.

Despite the number of deaths and diagnosed cases of prostate cancer, there is still no exact identified cause of the disease however; research only offers the risk factors for the disease.

Risk factors

The male population is now aware of how they have a high risk of getting prostate cancer. While taking precautions, there are risk factors that a man should know based on how it predisposes oneself to the risk of developing prostate cancer. Let’s discuss them below;

Obesity

The first risk factor of prostate cancer is obesity. Obesity is also another health concern that is alarming based on how it increases the risk of an individual developing different chronic diseases, including prostate cancer among men. Between individuals who are overweight and those with healthy weight, the overweight are at a greater risk of developing prostate cancer.

That means that a man should ensure a healthy lifestyle and practices to attain a healthy weight, a strategy that can lower their vulnerability to prostate cancer.

Family history

At times, a patient can be diagnosed with prostate cancer despite having a healthy weight and lifestyle. When traced back in their generation, it is possible that there were several cases of prostate cancer or different cancer types, hence increasing the risk of developing prostate cancer.

Race

Any man, irrespective of race or ethnic origin, can suffer prostate cancer. However, certain races record higher incidences of prostate cancer. An example is how black Americans have a higher risk of prostate cancer, unlike white Americans. That means that men from the black community should ensure regular cancer screening and take healthy measures to lower the chances of developing the disease.

Older age

Age advancement also increases a man’s risk of prostate cancer. Most of the diagnosed cases of the disease are common to men above 50 years.

Additional risk factors for the disease include exposure to toxic chemicals, alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity, and frequent cases of sexually transmitted infections.

Diagnosis for prostate cancer

When you suspect the likelihood of having prostate cancer, especially based on the discussed symptoms, go for a medical check-up or screening to determine the exact medical problem. Doctors can diagnose prostate cancer in different ways, including performing a biopsy, prostate-specific antigen blood test, cystoscopy, urine culture, and digital rectal exam.

Treatment for prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is treatable if only discovered in its early stages. However, the advanced stages of the disease may require management of the symptoms since most of the treatment measures turn out unsuccessful.

Being diagnosed with cancer does not imply nearing the end of one’s life. In fact, early detection of the disease supports the effectiveness of the treatment.

Below are some of the available treatment options for the cancer.

Immunotherapy

The ‘immuno’ element of the therapy focuses on the involvement of the body’s immune system. The treatment triggers the body’s natural immune system to attack and fight against prostate cancer cells.

While receiving the treatment, the patient may experience side effects such as headache, joint and back pain, nausea, fatigue, and chills.

The available forms of immunotherapy include immunomodulators and cancer vaccines.

When a doctor decides to use a cancer vaccine like the commonly used Provenge, the vaccine stimulates the patient’s immune cells to target prostatic acid phosphatase.

Targeted therapy

As prostate cancer advances, the cancerous cells tend to spread from the prostate gland, traveling through the bloodstream to other body parts. Drugs used for targeted therapy mainly aim to track and identify the cancer cells to hinder them from growing or spreading. If a person fails to respond to hormonal therapy for prostate cancer, targeted therapy can be an option. It is also effective when the cancerous cells have moved to other body parts.

The uniqueness of targeted therapy is that the drugs specifically target the cancerous cells while sparing the healthy cells. Doctors also recommend the intervention when genetic mutations favor the development of cancer.

The main and commonly used targeted therapy drugs for the treatment of prostate cancer include rucaparib and olaparib.

Like any other cancer treatment, targeted therapy also has side effects such as the development of rashes, constipation, dry mouth, reduced number of red blood cells, vomiting, nausea, urinary tract infections, and nausea.

Besides, the treatment also decreases the number of platelets, making one easily bruised.

Hormonal therapy

The male reproductive hormones associated with the prostate glands include the androgens, among other male reproductive hormones. The growth of cancer cells within the prostate depends on the testosterone. Therefore, the administration of hormonal therapy aims at hindering the production of the hormones or limiting them from accessing the cancer cells present in the prostate cancer cells.

There are various reasons for recommending hormonal therapy in a patient diagnosed with prostate cancer.

First, the therapy reduces the risk of recurrence of the disease.

Besides, hormonal therapy also helps in shrinking the cancer and lowering the growth rate of the tumors.

As patients prepare to undergo hormonal therapy, they should understand some of the side effects that may result from the treatment. For instance, the patient can experience the following symptoms while receiving the treatment;

Fatigue

Reduced body hair

Smaller genitals

Hot flashes

Reduced sex drive

Loss of muscle mass

When on hormonal therapy, the possible options to undergo are orchiectomy, taking medicines hindering testicles from producing testosterone, and also for killing or shrinking the cancer cells.

If an oncologist aims to kill cancer cells, some of the medications taken orally for the role are nilutamide, bicalutamide, and enzalutamide.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is an alternative cancer treatment that involves using anti-cancer drugs. The cancer patient can take the drugs orally or injected through the veins. It is most recommended for individuals diagnosed with advanced stages of prostate cancer. It can be used alone or combined with other types of treatment. Samples of chemodrugs effective in the treatment of prostate cancer include carboplatin, estramustine, mitoxantrone, and docetaxel. Chemotherapy drugs have various side effects on prostate cancer patients. For instance, the patient can experience diarrhea, vomiting or nausea, appetite loss, hair loss, and mouth sores. If the side effects worsen, the patient should share with the doctor.

Why should a man seek treatment for prostate cancer?

Once you discover you have prostate cancer in whichever stage, it is the best step to seek medical attention. Delayed treatment or lack of medical attention predisposes a person to further health complications.

Since it is an integral reproductive organ, the cancer can cause erectile dysfunction. However, some cancer treatment also tends to have side effect of causing erectile dysfunction.

The disease and also its treatment can result in urinary incontinence. It is a health problem characterized by the loss of control by the bladder causing involuntary urination.

Late detection of prostate cancer can also result in the spread of cancerous cells to different parts of the body. Typically, the cancerous cells can travel through the lymphatic system or the bloodstream, hence settling in tissues in different parts of the body, which can affect the effectiveness of the treatment.

Prevention of prostate cancer

Despite the risk factors of the disease, prostate cancer is preventable. If the main cause is associated with lifestyle and habits, one can control the risk of the disease through regularly exercising, having a healthy diet, and ensuring maintenance or attaining a healthy weight.

Besides, regular screening is also important since the cancer advances gradually and is confined within the prostate glands and may take longer before spreading to other body tissues or organs.

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