What You Need To Know About Metastatic Prostate Cancer
What you need to know about metastatic prostate cancer
In the country, prostate cancer affects most men when compared to other types of cancer. Prostate cancer is responsible for causing the second-highest number of deaths in the country caused by cancer.
What is metastatic prostate cancer?
- Metastatic prostate cancer or advanced prostate cancer is when the cancer cells have managed to reach body parts such as the brain and bones.
- Many men usually do not notice this because of the growth of this type of cancer can be extremely slow. However, it might reach the fourth stage of cancer before a man realizes that he has prostate cancer.
What are the symptoms of metastatic prostate cancer?
Advanced cancer may have different symptoms depending on the individual. However, these are some of the common symptoms that indicate you have an advanced stage of cancer:
- You will have problems urinating. You may want to urinate more often than you normally do.
Your sleep might be disrupted due to the urge to urinate. You may notice blood coming out when you urinate. Sometimes, even though you feel like you have to urinate, you don’t pass urine. You will have severe stomach pain that you won’t be able to bear. You may be constipated more often than usual. When you go to the toilet, you may notice that blood is visible in your stools. You may have the problem of lesser bowel control. You may start to rapidly lose weight without doing anything to make it happen. If you notice that you are losing weight and no factors are contributing to it, it can be a sign of advanced cancer. You will feel a lot of pain in your groin area. This is caused by the lymph nodes being affected by the cancer cells that have spread to that area. Cancer cells can affect your groin by limiting the efficiency of lymph nodes and causing problems in the way they work. You may feel a lot of pain in your legs. You might even notice a swelling in the legs, which will cause discomfort when you walk. This is an indication of a tumor growing in your body and affecting parts of your body. You might feel pain in your spine. You may feel like you are unable to breathe like you normally used to. You might cough blood, which is a symptom of lung problem due to prostate cancer.
What are the common underlying problems that occur in metastatic prostate cancer?
- There are many serious health problems that can be caused because of advanced prostate cancer. These problems can hamper your day-to-day activities. However, this may vary from person to person.
- While cancer may spread quickly for some, it may spread slowly for others. The problems that occur depend on the area that the cancer cells have spread to.
- Some of the most common problems that are experienced by people with advanced prostate cancer are as follows:
- Your bones can become much weaker and break quickly. You may be more prone to bone fractures and pain in the bones.
- You may suffer from hypercalcemia. This can lead to more tiredness, feeling thirsty all the time and feeling uneasy.
- You can suffer from sex-related issues. For example, you may lose your sex drive. You can have difficulty in having an erection.
- You can have bowel and urination problems. This can lead to incontinence, difficulty in going to the washroom and blood coming out in urine and stools.
What are the survival rates for metastatic prostate cancer?
- According to the National Cancer Institute, people with local metastasis cancer have a 100% relative 5-year survival rate, while men with distant metastasis have a 5-year survival rate of about 29%.
When is it ideal to consult the doctor?
- If you are having trouble in your spine area or any area suddenly, then you should go to your doctor immediately. Many times, men do not realize that they have metastatic prostate cancer until they have reached the final stage of cancer.
- Metastatic cancer is incurable. However, there are many treatment options available to lessen your pain and ensure that it does not spread any further. You should consult your doctor when you have any sort of pain.
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