Women Against Prostate Cancer (WAPC), a prostate cancer education and advocacy organization geared toward women and families affected by prostate cancer, is excited to announce the launch of its updated website: womenagainstprostatecancer.org. The site also provides a list of chapters and prostate cancer support groups across the country.

The new site will serve as a resource for women who want to learn more about prostate cancer and/or are looking for support following the diagnosis of a loved one. The site includes basic information about prostate cancer, resources for caregivers and information on clinical trials. Visit the site to read the stories of hope, sorrow and triumph from women who have experienced prostate cancer first hand.

The updated site builds upon WAPC’s mission to unite the voices and provide support for the millions of women, and their families affected by prostate cancer. WAPC advocates prostate cancer education, public awareness, screenings, legislation and treatment options.

Prostate cancer is not just a man’s disease, it can have a devastating impact on wives, partners and entire families.  WAPC is empowering loved ones to get informed, get involved and help bring an end to this disease. With an estimated 2 million American men currently living with prostate cancer, and another 192,000 who will be diagnosed this year, there are potentially millions of women looking for answers to questions related to the disease and its impact on the family.

Please take just a few minutes to drop by and check out the updated site and new content at: womenagainstprostatecancer.org. And be sure to pass this on to friends, family and colleagues who may be interested.

Theresa Morrow is the co-founder of Women Against Prostate Cancer, a prostate cancer support group that provides information and support to the women, partners and families of men with prostate cancer. Article Source
Technorati Tag: Prostate Cancer

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Women Against Prostate Cancer, a prostate cancer support group geared towards helping women and families affected by prostate cancer, wants to make sure every woman knows the facts about the disease.  Below are the top 10 things women should know:

1.  What is a prostate? The prostate is a walnut-sized male gland that contributes to the fluid that carries sperm. It is located just below the bladder.

2.  What is prostate cancer? Prostate cancer occurs when a group of cells begins growing abnormally out of control in the prostate and invades healthy tissue. The cancer cells may also spread from the prostate to other parts of the body.

3.  Who does it affect? Prostate cancer does not only affect men; the disease can have a devastating effect on entire families, especially wives and partners.

4.  Who is at risk? According to the National Cancer Institute, 1 in 6 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, for African American men the rate is closer to 1 in 4.  Nearly 190,000 American men will be diagnosed this year, ultimately leading to 27,000 deaths.

5.  What are the risk factors? While the exact cause of prostate cancer is still unknown there are dynamics that can increase a man’s risk of getting prostate cancer including:

Age: A man’s chance of developing prostate cancer increases quickly after age 50.
Family History: Those with a father, brother, uncle or other male relative who have had prostate cancer are at increased risk.
Race: African American males are at the highest risk of developing prostate cancer, as they are up to twice as likely to develop and die from the disease.

6.  What are the signs & symptoms? Early stage prostate cancer typically has no symptoms. Therefore, in addition to regular checkups, a man should see a health care provider if he experiences persistent hip or back pain, has difficulty urinating, feels pain and/or a burning sensation during urination, or has blood in his urine.

7.  How is it caught early? The most common early detection methods include a digital rectal exam and a prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test.  Abnormalities may indicate the need for further testing.  WAPC recommends that at age 40 (35 for high risk men) men receive a baseline PSA and digital rectal exam, and speak with their physician about annual screening thereafter.

8.  What are common treatment options? Depending on the individual, there are several possible treatment options, each with a different side effect profile.  The most common treatments include prostatectomy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy and active surveillance, among others.

9.  What can women do to help?
• Gently remind him to get a prostate screening.  If that doesn’t work, pick up the phone and make an appointment. Early detection leads to the greatest outcomes and an improved quality of life.
• Stand by your man.  If your husband or partner is diagnosed, show support by attending doctor’s appointments or support group meetings with him.
• Research. As mentioned above, when it comes to treatment options the choices are numerous.  Learn all you can about each treatment, its side effect profile and expected outcomes, and share what you learn with your partner.
• Seek support. Connect with other women who are facing the same challenge. Join a local WAPC chapter for support, and to continue the fight against prostate cancer.

10.  What is the survival rate?  While there is much work to be done to end this disease, there is hope.  If detected early, prostate cancer is highly treatable.  To that end, according to the American Cancer Society, the 5-year survival rate is nearly 100%.

Theresa Morrow is the co-founder of Women Against Prostate Cancer, a prostate cancer support group that provides information and support to the women, partners and families of men with prostate cancer.
Article Source

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For patients that have just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, choosing the right prostate cancer therapy could be a frightening task due to the high level of risk involved in case of making the wrong choice. However, an expert team of doctors and specialists would be able to offer expert advice on the various therapies available even as advances in science lessen the risk and improve the prospects of recovery with each passing day.

This type of cancer can be classified in 3 stages.

• Organ confined. In this stage, the cancer is confined to the prostate gland only.
• Locally advanced. In this stage, the cancer would have spread to surrounding local organs.
• Metastatic. In this advanced stage, the cancer might have spread to other organs in the body, as far away as the lungs or liver and is very difficult to treat.

Doctors will need to first access the stage of the particular cancer before determining on the right therapy to combat the advance of the cancer cells. Some of the therapies used to fight prostate cancer are:

Surgery

If the cancer is organ confined or locally advanced then doctors might usually opt for surgery to remove the affected organs or lymph nodes to stop the cancer from spreading to other organs. Doctors will probably use other therapies such as radiation, hormonal therapy or chemotherapy after surgery to be on the safe side and remove any hidden cancer cells.

Hormonal therapy

Hormones in a human body that could trigger the growth of cancerous cells are targeted in this therapy. This prostate cancer therapy involves medications that suppress the growth of hormones that aggravate the situation and is also used in conjunction with other therapies for better effect.

Radiation

Radiation can be administered in the form of Brachytherapy where radioactive pills or rods are surgically placed inside the body or on the affected organ. On the other hand, external beam radiation is also used on the affected organ to kill the cancer cells by destroying their DNA. Radiation is often used after surgery to mop up cancer cells that might have escaped the surgeon’s knife.

Chemotherapy

If the cancer has managed to reach an advanced stage then the particular type of therapy would need to include chemotherapy to ease the pain and kill cancerous cells. Chemotherapy usually uses a combination of drugs to destroy cancer cells and also ends up damaging healthy cells too. But if doctors feel that the results could help save the patient’s life then this therapy is used.

Cryotherapy

This form of therapy for cancer involves freezing the cancer cells to death. By using chemicals such as liquid nitrogen, the targeted cells are subjected to a low temperature attack that results in their death. This therapy is not widely practiced but is slowly gaining ground as a safe way of treating patients.

Alternative therapies too are fast gaining ground as the medical world opens up to new ideas but lack of long-term testing has slowed them from turning into mainstream treatments. The right prostate cancer therapy will help doctors to eliminate prostate cancer quickly and safely while allowing the patient to enjoy a long and healthy cancer-free life in future, although regular checkups will be required for life.

Go to Prostate Cancer Therapy to get free information on this product. This website will give you all of the information you need on this topic along with a lot of other free information. Don’t miss out on this new website if you are looking for more information. Find us at http://prostatecancertherapy.org/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Millbank
Technorati Tag: Prostate Cancer

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Cancer that grows in the prostate gland is called prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the U.S. About one man in six will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only one man in 34 will die of the disease.

In the early stages, surgery and radiation may be used to remove or attempt to kill the cancer cells or shrink the tumor. Doctors will usually advice you to undergo a surgical operation. You will then be given some medications to take. Many studies have shown that this combination reduces the pains experienced by men to a great extent especially if the prostate cancer has spread to the bones. The cancer will not totally disappear nor will you live longer. Seek medical advice too and you would be in a better position to decide according to your own health and your personal values. Medications can have many side effects, including hot flashes and loss of sexual desire. Urinary incontinence can be a possible complication of surgery.

Also a form of treatment used for early stage cancer is high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). This procedure is carried out under anesthesia (or using a local spinal anesthetic) and a probe is placed into the prostate gland through the rectum. A beam of high intensity focused ultrasound is them used to raise the temperature in the area of focus and thus to kill the cancer cells

Another prostate cancer treatment option is radiation therapy. This prostate cancer treatment includes the use of radiation of high energy from protons, neutrons, gamma rays and x-rays, as well as other sources to kill the cancerous cells and to shrink any existing tumors. There are two ways that radiation therapy can be administered as prostate cancer treatment. The first is from a machine that is located outside your body called external beam radiation therapy, or you may have material that is radioactive that is placed in your body near where the cancer is located. This is referred to as internal radiation therapy.
A relatively new technique, which is still being evaluated, is known as cryosurgery. During cryosurgery, which is carried out under anesthesia, cooling probes are guided into the prostate using ultrasound and the cancer cells are killed by freezing them.

The form of treatment used for early stage cancer is high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). This procedure is carried out under anesthesia (or using a local spinal anesthetic) and a probe is placed into the prostate gland through the rectum. A beam of high intensity focused ultrasound is them used to raise the temperature in the area of focus and thus to kill the cancer cells

For late stage prostate cancer hormone therapy is used and this is designed not to attack the cancer itself but to target the male hormones (in particular testosterone), which the cancer cells need to grow. In cases where hormone therapy proves ineffective, systematic radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be recommended.

The outcome of prostate cancer varies greatly; mostly because the disease is found in older men who may have a variety of other complicating diseases or conditions, such as cardiac or respiratory disease, or disabilities that immobilize or greatly decrease their activities. Whatever the stage of your cancer it is important to consider all of the options carefully and weigh the advantages, disadvantages and risks of each carefully before choosing the treatment that is best for you.

Article Source: http://www.addondashboard.com/Article/Having-Prostate-Cancer-Treatment-For-Men/290503
Technorati Tag: Prostate Cancer

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The good news about prostate cancer which differs from almost all other forms of tumor; is that it is generally slow to metastasize and with early detection, treatment and aftercare, there is a very good chance of containing the spread and hence; treating the underlying condition.

When it comes to alternative prostate cancer treatments – thankfully there’s an extensive amount of research currently underway into certain drugs for certain forms of the condition. Alternatively, other hormonal tests, studies & research based on testosterone levels in male candidates – is also currently being pursued. It seems highly likely that like many other cancers, with prostate cancer, it is vital to catch it before it metastasizes (or spreads from the prostate gland around the body) after which point there’s little doctors or aggressive treatments can do.

This is why it is wise for patients or potential patients to become familiar with alternative treatments at every stage and all relative alternatives, as soon as any of the symptoms become known.

While a lot of work is going into establishing antibodies that will hopefully help minimise the need for radiation and surgery, there are also a lot of other established alternative methods that have proven their worth and can be explored in each individual case. Among these is a strict change in diet, where certain foodstuffs will be added, such as a higher percentage of fruit and vegetables and some will be taken away. Dairy products in particular are not good for this type of cancer and with the help of a specialist, may indeed be eliminated entirely from the diet.

A lot of cancer treatments will heavily depend on age. For example, doctors and oncologists may be willing to try aggressive forms of treatment on young middle age men, whereas, the same condition on a person over seventy for instance, will be dramatically different. The biggest concern with prostate cancer is keeping it contained within the prostate tissue, and if this can be done successfully, the chances of survival will be greatly increased, as again, it is a slow tumor to develop.

For a full list of information and details about the different kinds of treatments available for prostate cancer sufferers, patients are advised to first visit their GP, as well as perhaps checking online for the best alternative solutions and advice, thus; maximizing every potential for cure.

Importance of Early Detection

As prostate cancer is very much a condition under the current spotlight, the dangers, as well as other forms of cancer, are that once it has spread from the tissue in the prostate gland, there is very little doctors can do, and so, your doctor may want to begin trials immediately after a full screening. The bigger options of course, for any kind of cancer are chemotherapy and surgery; however, these are not looked upon for this kind of cancer as a first option. The best advice perhaps is to look around for as many alternatives as you can find initially, while you begin consulting with your GP.

It is also worth noting that there are dedicated doctors and specialists that can be found online to help answer any questions you may have prior to beginning any form of traditional or alternative prostate cancer treatment, but please be aware that early detection and treatment is always the best route.

Learn more about alternative prostate cancer treatment options at CancerCureOptions.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ty_Daniel
Technorati Tag: Prostate Cancer

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