Metastatic prostate cancer

What is the prostate gland?

The prostate gland is an unpaired organ of the male body located between the bladder and rectum.

During ejaculation, spermatozoa from the testicles are sent through the seminal vesicles to the prostate gland. It produces a special fluid that helps sperm to survive.

The fluid produced in the prostate gland and the spermatozoa together make up the sperm that exits through the urethra.

What is metastatic prostate cancer?

Most often, prostate cancer grows very slowly, many men do not even suspect that they are sick. In rare cases, cancer grows rapidly and aggressively and gives metastases – it spreads to other organs beyond the prostate gland.

Metastases are secondary tumors growing outside the organ in which the primary focus is located. The appearance of metastases characterizes stage 4 of cancer.

There are two types of metastatic prostate cancer:

· Local metastases. Cancer spreads within the pelvic region, most often to the regional lymph nodes.

·        Distant metastases. Cancer spreads beyond the pelvic region: to the bones, brain, liver, lungs and other organs.

Symptoms of metastatic cancer

With prostate cancer, a man is concerned about the following symptoms:

· frequent urge to urinate;

· weak or intermittent urination;

· difficulty starting and stopping urination;

· pain and burning sensation during urination;

· erectile dysfunction;

· painful ejaculation;

· the presence of blood in urine or semen.

The appearance of at least one of these symptoms should alert a man and is a reason to consult a doctor. These symptoms may accompany other diseases, but it is extremely important to exclude prostate cancer.

The symptoms of metastatic prostate cancer depend on which organ and how fast the metastases grow.

For example, metastasis to nearby lymph nodes may not affect a man's well-being at all. And with bone metastasis, bone pain appears.

Other symptoms of metastases:

· fatigue;

· feeling unwell;

· decreased appetite;

· weight loss;

· swelling on the legs.

Complications

The progression of prostate cancer can affect other organs.

Urinary system. The tumor can squeeze or grow into the bladder, urethra and other pelvic organs. This leads to urinary retention, the appearance of blood in the urine, incontinence or difficulty urinating.

Intestine. Prostate cancer can affect the intestines, causing constipation, diarrhea, frequent urge to defecate. These symptoms can be caused by both the tumor itself and medications taken to relieve pain.

The sexual sphere. Men suffering from prostate cancer often develop erection problems. Some have a decreased libido, an inability to ejaculate.

Dice. When prostate cancer metastasizes to the bones, patients have severe bone pain, bone tissue becomes brittle, which leads to frequent fractures.

Hypercalcemia. When prostate cancer metastasizes to the bones, calcium is washed out of them and enters the blood. A high level of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia) is accompanied by increased fatigue, loss of appetite, thirst, a feeling of the need to urinate, nausea and vomiting, constipation.

Anemia. Anemia is a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin in red blood cells, whose function is to deliver oxygen to tissues. This condition is accompanied by severe fatigue, shortness of breath, pallor. Such symptoms are usually characteristic of cancer metastases to the bone marrow, and may also be side effects of cancer treatment.

Lymphedema. Prostate cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes may be accompanied by swelling of the scrotum or legs. This is due to a violation of lymph circulation and its stagnation.

Treatment

There are several methods of therapy for metastatic prostate cancer. The oncologist draws up a treatment plan taking into account the symptoms, prognosis, purpose of treatment, age and general condition of the patient.

Hormone therapy for metastatic prostate cancer is aimed at stopping the production of male sex hormones. This slows down the progression of the tumor.

Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells and prevents their growth. It is prescribed to patients in the absence of the effect of hormone therapy. During chemotherapy, two or more drugs are combined, which are taken in the form of tablets, administered intramuscularly or intravenously.

Immunotherapy is the modification of the immune cells of the patient's body in such a way that they themselves find and destroy cancer cells.

In addition, radiation therapy may be prescribed.

Side effects of treatment of metastatic prostate cancer

Treatment of prostate cancer is associated with a large number of side effects, which the doctor should warn the patient in advance.

· Infertility;

· urinary incontinence;

· urinary retention;

· diarrhea;

· erectile dysfunction;

· pain;

· fatigue;

· hair loss;

· decreased appetite;

· nausea and vomiting.

Fortunately, enough drugs have been developed to treat side effects so that the patient does not have to endure and experience discomfort during cancer therapy.

Forecast

The prognosis of prostate cancer depends on where the metastases appeared and how aggressively they grow.

According to the classification of the American Cancer Society, the indicators of 5-year survival in prostate cancer are as follows:

· local prostate cancer without metastasis: almost 100%;

· prostate cancer with metastases within the pelvic region: almost 100%;

· prostate cancer with distant metastases: 29%.

Each case of prostate cancer is unique, the prognosis in each individual case should be discussed by the oncologist with the patient.

Screening

If prostate cancer was detected before metastases appeared, or metastases did not go beyond the pelvis, then the prognosis of survival is very good. This means that screening and early diagnosis are of tremendous importance in the fight against prostate cancer. Every man over the age of 50 should contact his doctor to find out what studies and with what frequency should be performed for the timely detection of cancer.