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Background
My name is Chris Bell, I live in Wales and I have prostate cancer. It's the most common male cancer and it kills 30 men every day in the UK. All men are at risk of getting it, but how many people know its symptoms? Here's a selection of stuff which I think everyone should know...
What is a Prostate?
 © The Prostate Cancer Charity |
The prostate is a sexual organ, like a breast or a cervix. But unlike breasts and cervixes, most people remain too embarrassed to talk about prostates - maybe because they're tied up with semen and ejaculation, subjects which remain taboo, even in today's enlightened society. Only men have a prostate. It lies just beneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra (the tube which carries urine and semen to the penis). A healthy prostate is the size and shape of a walnut and its main job is to make semen, the fluid which carries sperm during sex. The most common problems are:
The rest of this website is concerned with prostate cancer... |
Symptoms of Prostate Cancer
Unfortunately prostate cancer is often 'silent', with no symptoms for months or even years. This is why a screening program should be introduced for all middle-aged and older men without delay and why, in the meantime, you are urged to ask your doctor (physician or GP) for an annual PSA test yourself - see below.
Any urinary or sexual changes should be checked out by a doctor straight away. However, all the following symptoms can have other causes and only a thorough medical examination and tests can determine what causes any particular symptom.
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Sexual symptoms can give the earliest indication of problems but they aren't often discussed, probably due to embarassment, and some doctors aren't even aware of them. You are more likely to notice them during masturbation than intercourse, but DON'T BE EMBARASSED!
The main urinary symptoms are:
Other symptoms include:
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If you notice any of these symptoms, go to see your doctor without delay. There's a good chance that they are caused by something else but, if it's cancer, then early detection will give you the best chance of a cure.
Download a copy of the West Wales Prostate Cancer Support Group's fact sheet about Prostate Cancer Symptoms.
Have an annual PSA test
There is no UK screening program for prostate cancer yet, but all men can ask their doctors for an annual PSA blood test:
- Black men should start at the age of 40,
- White men should start at the age of 50,
- White men with a family history of prostate cancer should start at 40.
PSA is a protein in the blood that can give an early indication of prostate problems and this simple test can determine how much PSA you have. It needs to be repeated every year since a single result is not as significant as the rate at which PSA rises over a period of time, something that can only be judged by having regular tests.
Ask your doctor for your PSA scores and keep a record of them - it's not enough to be simply told that "the result is normal - there's nothing to worry about".
Some doctors are reluctant to provide PSA tests for asymptomatic men, but the recent British NHS 'Risk Management Program' advises them that all men have the right to be tested and provides information that can be used to interpret the results. A better test may soon become available, as will a national screening program but, in the meantime, ask your doctor for an annual PSA test.
Download a copy of the West Wales Prostate Cancer Support Group's fact sheet about the PSA test.
(The routine screening of men for prostate cancer is long overdue. Women are screened for breast and cervical cancer, so shouldn't men be treated equally? Perhaps a case could be brought against the UK Government under its own Sex Discrimination Act! PSA tests aren't perfect but they're the best we've got at the moment, so please put pressure on your MPs, AMs, MSPs and MEPs for a national screening program for men.)
Avoid Milk and Dairy Products!
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It is not known why some men get prostate cancer and others don't. Age and a family history of prostate cancer are known risk factors, but you can't do anything about these. However it seems likely that diet in general, and milk and dairy products in particular, also plays a role - and that's something you CAN control. Professor Jane Plant is one of Britain's most distinguished scientists who has won many scientific honours and was made a CBE for her work in geochemistry. She was struck by breast cancer at the age of 42 and it recurred a further four times, but she refused to give in and devoted her many scientific skills to researching and beating it - which she did. Jane's research showed that milk and dairy products can trigger both breast and prostate cancer. Milk, from humans or other mammals, is a medium which encourages cell-division and growth; this is needed by baby mammals but not by adults in whom uncontrolled cell-division can mean cancer. Cow's milk is a great food for baby cows but nature didn't intend it to be consumed by any species other than baby cows. Her initial suspicians were raised when she noticed that breast and prostate cancers are rare in China, where milk and dairy products are not normally consumed. Yet they are not uncommon amongst Chinese people who adopt a Western diet which, of course, is rich in dairy products such as milk, butter, cheese, yogurt and cream. Jane also recommends avoiding red meat which, in most 'developed' countries, comes from animals which have been given hormones and other growth-factors to stimulate rapid growth. These poisons find their way into the meat and have also been shown to stimulate cancer in humans. She recommends a mainly vegan diet, plus free-range poultry and cold-water ocean fish. As a result of her research, Jane has written several carefully-researched books, including: |
- Prof. Jane Plant: Prostate Cancer - Understand, Prevent and Overcome (Virgin Books) - research into diet and prostate cancer
- Prof Jane Plant + Gill Tidey: The Plant Programme (Virgin Books) - a recipe book based on her recommendations
Click here to read Jane's story in her own words.
Don't forget to eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Avoid red meat - fish, especially oily varieties such as mackerel, and organic poultry are much better for you. And drink a glass of pomegranate juice every day. There's a lot more dietary advice in Jane's 'The Plant Programme' book (see above).
TreatmentProstate cancer can be cured if it's caught early and, if you are otherwise fit, you should be given a choice of 'radical' treatments - however not every one is available in every hospital. Your PSA should then drop to a very low level and your doctor will keep an eye on you by monitoring it at regular intervals. Fewer options are available if your cancer has already spread outside your prostate (this is called 'locally advanced prostate cancer'), but there's still a good chance that it can be kept at bay for a number of years. After your inital radical treatment, you are likely to be offered 3-monthly hormone injections to reduce your testosterone level, since prostate cancer needs testosterone to grow. This does have a few unfortunate side-effects but these are preferable to the cancer itself. Your doctor will also monitor your PSA at regular intervals thereafter. |
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Currently available treatments include Surgery, Radiotherapy, Hormone therapy, Brachytherapy, Chemotherapy, Cryotherapy, High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and 'Watchful Waiting'. They are described in more detail in the West Wales Prostate Cancer Support Group's fact sheet about Prostate Cancer Treatment.
YOU must take control of your treatment
Once you've been diagnosed with prostate cancer, YOU must take over the driving seat. Don't accept delays and read all you can about your condition, both as it is now and how it might develop in the future.
Don't let things slip until it's too late - in my experience, this can happen all too easily. NHS treatment in the UK, when you eventually get it, is second to none and the doctors and nurses are some of the kindest people you're ever likely to meet. But NHS management and administration leave a lot to be desired and, remarkable for such a common disease, many health workers remain ignorant of facts and symptoms surrounding prostate cancer. Your own knowledge and polite assertiveness could even save your life!
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I have found it helpful to keep a graphic record of my cancer journey since initial diagnosis in 2004. It clearly shows how different treatments have affected my PSA level (and the state of my cancer) over the years and, in my opinion, it is easier to understand than some of the hand-written notes that my doctors and consultants keep - some of them have even said so themselves! (Click on the graph to enlarge it) |
What happens next?
So long as your PSA remains very low, then you can rest assured that your cancer has either been cured or remains inactive. A rising PSA, however, could indicate the return of prostate cancer and there's a danger that it will eventually metastasise to other parts of your body, especially your bones. At this stage the cancer and its symptoms can only be controlled - a cure will no longer be possible.
It's very important, therefore, that you continue to monitor your PSA level and, if it starts rising significantly, that you are aware of any symptoms that require action. In particular, any unexplained pain, tingling, numbness or pins and needles in your back, legs, buttocks, chest, tummy or arms, and problems going to the toilet, should be investigated immediately becuase if they indicate 'Metatstatic Spinal Cord Compression' then palliative treatment should start within 24 hours.
Side effects
Whichever treatment you undergo, you will have to cope with side effects. Some of these are more serious than others, but all of them are preferable to having prostate cancer itself. There is not enough space to list all the possibilities here, so I will merely tell you what I've experienced myself...
| My main side-effect is that I'M STILL ALIVE and have have already enjoyed 7 extra years of quality life! |
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| Hormone therapy (2005-2012) |
'Menopausal' symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, weight gain and hightened emotions - the intensities of all of these have slowly reduced with the passage of time. My sexual department shut down as soon as treatment started and I've been impotent ever since - I no longer get aroused, either physically (no erections) or psychologically (no sexual thoughts). |
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| Radical Radiotherapy (April 2005) |
During treatment | Fatigue Bowel incontinence |
| Ever since | Bowel urgency |
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| Chemotherapy (May-Dec 2011) |
During treatment | Fatigue Hair and nail loss, tingling fingers and peeling skin Loss of appetite - everything tasted awful Extravasation - serious pain caused by drug leakage Infections |
| 4 months after | Fatigue Numbness from the drug leakage |
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Alternative and Complementary therapies
There are many other things which you can do to help control your cancer and there's no shortage of advice if you care to search the Web. Some people reject medical intervention altogether, preferring to put their faith in something alternative, while others (including me) feel that it's sensible to accept what modern medicine can offer and help it to do its job by using carefully-chosen complementary therapies. Here's a selection, although I haven't, personally, tried most of them...
- Plant Programme (see Avoid Milk above)
- Pfeifer Protocol
- Essaic herbal tea
- Curcumin supplements
- Lycopene supplements
- Selenium supplements
- Vitamin D supplements
- Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) supplements
Support Groups and Help
The 2 main British charities that help prostate cancer sufferers and their families, by providing information and advice, are Prostate Action and The Prostate Cancer Charity. If you want to talk to a nurse who specialises in prostate problems, phone the Prostate Cancer Charity's Confidential Helpline:
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If you are unlucky enough to be diagnosed with cancer, you will probably find it helpful to contact a support group near where you live. Such groups exist all over the UK and offer support, information and will put you in contact with others in the same situation as yourself. My own group is The West Wales Prostate Cancer Support Group. Use the following links to search for your local group:
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Prostate Cancer Charity Support Groups |
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The Dorset, Hampshire and Sussex Prostate Cancer Support Organisation has produced an excellent general information booklet called Prostate Cancer - Knowledge Empowers.
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© Chris Bell |