Koeman will replace Van Gaal in the Netherlands team after the World Cup in Qatar
Celebrities Robert de Niro, Rod Stewart, Armstrong, Robben... Well-known faces that have made visible the male cancers with the most stigma, prostate and testicular
Prostate cancer (CaP) has once again become the topic of the moment after
Louis Van Gaal
, former coach of FC Barcelona, announced that he had this disease and was undergoing full treatment with more than 20 chemotherapy sessions.
This type of cancer
affects the gland that produces the seminal fluid that is used to feed and transport the sperm.
This disease is the
second leading cause of cancer mortality
in men, behind lung cancer.
In addition,
it is among the most diagnosed in 2022
according to the report
Cancer figures in Spain
published by the
Spanish Society of Medical Oncology
(SEOM).
Studies indicate that one in eight men will be diagnosed with this type of cancer throughout his life.
In fact, familiar faces such as
Robert de Niro, Ben Stiller, Roger Moore, or Charlton Heston
are on the list of those affected by this disease.
What is the profile of the most affected man?
Age is the main risk factor and this begins to increase from the age of
50 in white men and from the age of 40 in black men
.
Although broadly speaking, the average presentation of the disease is around
65 years
, according to specialists.
In addition, it also varies depending on the family clinical history, which accounts for 8% of the total number of cases detected.
Symptoms prior to diagnosis
The symptoms vary depending on the stage in which the tumor is found.
In a first phase,
if the tumor is limited to the prostate,
it may be asymptomatic or suffer from mild signs such
as: decreased caliber or interruption of the urine stream, followed by increased frequency of urination, generally at night, accompanied by discomfort, explained
Dr. Aránzazu González del Alba,
oncologist at the Puerta del Hierro University Hospital in Madrid.
In a more advanced phase of the disease, the
presence of blood or signs of infection
would be added to the symptoms already mentioned.
In addition, as the tumor progresses,
swelling of the legs may appear due to the growth of regional lymph nodes, bone pain
(due to tumor extension to the bone) and even loss of strength in the legs due to compression of the spinal cord, explains the Dr. Gonzalez del Alba.
Age is key to tumor development.
The man who is around 50 years of age should go to the specialist annually to rule out anomalies in the area.
The main diagnostic method is the
"rectal tract"
method .
The test consists of an examination through which the doctor
"inserts a finger into the rectum and feels the prostate looking for nodules or abnormal areas"
, explained the doctor.
"The exam is uncomfortable but it's not painful and it takes very little to do," she adds.
The vast majority of cases will be diagnosed in a localized phase.
Approximately 30% will develop advanced disease requiring hormonal treatment,
and most of these will eventually evolve into castration-resistant disease with a high mortality rate.
In developed countries, less than 10% of prostate cancers will be diagnosed initially in the metastatic phase.
Several studies relate the consumption of certain foods favors the prevention
Although the direct relationship between lifestyle and suffering from prostate is not clear, numerous researchers are currently working to establish the
relationship between the intake of certain foods or compounds with the reduction of the probability of suffering from PCa.
A clear example is
tomato and watermelon.
These fruits, in all their forms, contain a high degree of
lycopenes
, an antioxidant substance that protects DNA.
"Studies associate high blood levels of lycopenes with a reduced probability of prostate cancer," explains the oncologist.
The same happens with the
effects of soy derivatives
: specialists have analyzed the possibility that their intake can reduce the incidence of cancer.
Although there are still many unknowns in this regard, researchers are still looking for ways to stop the appearance of this tumor that is
7.3% of all cancers diagnosed in the country in 2020, which means that there are more than one million positive patients detected in a single year,
according to SEOM.
surgeries and treatments
Once diagnosed;
surgery, radiotherapy with or without hormone therapy, and active surveillance are the most effective strategies to deal with localized prostate tumors.
When choosing an approach method, "the probability that the tumor is limiting the prostate gland and therefore
potentially curable, the size and histological grade, that is, the aggressiveness of the tumor, as well as the age of the patient"
will influence explains Dr. González del Alba.
Surgery is the most common method in these cases.
It consists of completely extracting the prostate gland,
"either perineally or retropubically
, the latter is better if it is a high-grade tumor," the specialist specifies.
Furthermore, patients with localized low-grade cancer have
an 80.85% chance of remaining disease-free 15 years after surgery
, she adds.
"Urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction or impotence are the most frequent complications in the intervention"
, explains Dr. González del Alba.
In most cases they appear after surgery and improve over time.
This happens if the tumor is large, since it is difficult to respect the nerves responsible for urinary and sexual function, explains the SEOM specialist.
External
radiotherapy
is also another of the most frequent treatments, having the same positive results as surgery.
The technique has
numerous side effects as a result of the radiation received by healthy tissues near the tumor.
r, as the bladder and rectum.
For this reason, there is Brachytherapy, which consists of a radioactive source inside the prostate guided by ultrasound, "it is a less popular but more precise technique" so it does not affect the surrounding healthy organs.
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