Nauman – please ensure that there is a Spam Comment deleting plugin, this blog has too many automated spam comments comming in.

Also, what happened to the pictures? They’re gone…

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Prostate cancer after treatment includes regular tests to see if the cancer re-occurs or spreads. A follow up plan should also be made which includes visits to the doctor, PSA tests, DRE’s and should be started a few months after the treatment concludes. Bone scans and other imaging tests can also be recommended depending on the medical situation of the patient. Side effects are possible after prostate cancer treatment and may last for anything from a few weeks to several months. It is also good to get medical insurance so that if the cancer re-occurs, money will not be an issue during treatment.

Prostate cancer can even occur many years after treatment and thus regular visits to the doctor and making sure he knows everything is very important.

Prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment is done on the basis of a biopsy that is conducted on the prostate gland. A DRE or PSA test helps in diagnosis. The results of these tests, if positive, are then graded on the Gleason scale and accordingly the prognosis is given and treatment is decided. Deciding which treatment to undergo is a very daunting task as there are so many options available and there are very little reliable statistics to go by.

When deciding the treatment the tumor is classified in to organ-confined, locally advanced and Metastatic. For organ-confined prostate cancer or locally advanced prostate cancer, treatment includes surgery, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, cryotherapy, various combinations of these treatments and of course watchful waiting. In the case of metastasis, no cure is available at the moment. Treatments like hormone therapy and chemotherapy are considered palliative and only aim at extending survival time.

Hormone therapy prostate cancer involves stopping production of testosterone by the body so that the cancer cells do not get the chance to develop or survive. Some cells however are not affected by the non production of testosterone and are thus not affected by hormone therapy. As these cells keep growing, the effect of hormone therapy keeps on reducing. Thus, we cannot consider hormone therapy as a full proof plan to tackle prostate cancer even though it is considered a very important step in managing the advancing disease and is most likely to be a part of the treatment if the patient is suffering from recurring or advancing prostate cancer.

There is a rule, called the ABCDE rule that is used to find skin cancer spots. The rule is described below:

1) A – asymmetry – Moles or freckles without any cancerous elements will be symmetrical on both sides. Skin cancer spots don’t look the same on both sides.

2) B – border – moles or spots with blurry jagged edges may have skin cancer cells.

3) C – color – Moles having more than one color should be shown to a doctor. Normal moles are usually only one color.

4) D – diameter – If the size of the mole is more than 6mm it should be shown to a doctor. Even if none of the other abnormalities are present.

5) E – elevation – It means that the mole is raised above the skins surface and has an uneven surface itself.

Prostate cancer brachytherapy is a form of treating prostate cancer where small radioactive seeds are planted in the prostate. For this to happen, the patient has to undergo a minor outpatient surgical procedure involving transrectal ultrasound guidance. Tiny, radioactive seeds of Iodine 125 or Palladiun 103 are placed inside the prostate gland. These give out low energy x-rays which kill cancer cells leaving surrounding parts of the body alone. This procedure takes about an hour. After implantation of the seeds, a catheter is placed in the bladder temporarily to drain urine. This will be removed just before you are to be discharged from the hospital.

Facial skin cancer more often than not is not diagnosed early as it looks like normal moles. This can have damaging effects that leave lasting scars. It develops due to increased sun exposure. The UV rays harvest radiation in 3 wavelengths, UVA, UVB and UVC. UVA and UVB do the most damage. The radiation activates malignant genes, oncogenes, that start the cancer. Facial skin cancer can be caused from overexposure to chemicals and radiation and can also be hereditary. There are 3 categories, basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas and melanomas. These can be diagnosed either by looking for strange pimple like growths or inflamed, tender growths and may also perform biopsies.

Prostate cancer staging is done based on the size and character of the cells, as well as the extent to which metastasis has occurred. The various stages are:

1. Stage A – Very early, no symptoms, cancer is confined to the prostate. (A1 and A2 are the sub-stages.)
2. Stage B – It is palpable in the elevated PSA test and is still confined to the prostate. (B0, B1 and B2 are the sub-stages.)
3. Stage C – Cancer cells has metastasized to surrounding tissues and/or seminal vesicles. (C1 and C2 are the sub-stages.)
4. Stage D – Cancer cells have metastasized to the regional lymph nodes or bones, organs and or other tissues that are located far away from the prostate. (D0, D1, D2 and D3 are the sub-stages)

There are two types of carcinoma skin cancer. They are explained in below:

1. Basal cell carcinoma – Usually look like a bleeding or scabbing sore that seems to get better with time then re occurs and starts to bleed. They are found on the neck and face which are exposed to sunlight although it is also found on the abdomen, leg and scalp. They do not metastasize and tend to stick to the place where they originated. They can be cured with the help of methods called curettage and electrodesiccation. Larger cells are removed by surgery. MOHS surgery is the best way to treat most of these types of skin cancer and also ones that recur.
2. Squamous cell carcinoma – When the squamous cells are the site for origination of the cancer cells it is called Squamous cell carcinoma. Under a microscope, they look like fish scales. They are found in tissue forming skin surface, lining of hollow organs and respiratory passages and digestive tracts. The disease may arise in any of these tissues.