The Facts You Need to Know About Prostate Cancer

As your elderly loved one gets older, elder care professionals assert that it’s important that you both understand some basic facts about prostate cancer. Prostate cancer rates rise as a man ages, making it important to learn about some of the warning signs and treatment options for a senior. Though a cancer diagnosis is always scary, proper treatment and understanding of the condition can help a family feel better equipped to handle the situation.

Some of the key signs of prostate cancer

Senior health care professionals note that this disease is a slow growing one, but it can eventually spread into other areas of the body if it is left undetected. Unfortunately, the condition typically only displays when it has been allowed to progress. Therefore, senior care professionals recommend learning some of the signs of prostate cancer. They include:

• The frequent urge to urinate
• Trouble stopping or starting when urinating
• The inability to urinate
• Pain during urination
• Blood in the urine

Keep in mind that not all of these symptoms automatically imply that a man has prostate cancer. However, in the event that your senior does begin displaying some of these symptoms, it is important to check in with a doctor.

Prostate cancer is still a relatively unknown condition. While significant medical advancements have been made in recent years, researchers are still fairly unsure about what causes this condition to develop in the first place. However, they have narrowed down several risk factors that may lead to this condition. These include:

• Family history
• Age (80 percent of cases occur after a person turns 60)
• Race (African Americans and Caucasians are most at risk)
• Obesity
• A high-fat diet
• A sedentary lifestyle

A prostate cancer diagnosis is certainly scary for a family; however, there are many effective treatment options when a person finds out that they have prostate cancer. While it may seem as though chemotherapy is the best option, in reality surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy are actually some of the most powerful options when it comes to overcoming prostate cancer. If your elderly loved one receives a prostate cancer diagnosis, his medical team will work closely in order to determine the best course of action based on that individual’s current condition.