While I applaud the progress made on many Women’s health issues men seem to be losing some ground in their areas of concern. One of these is Prostate Cancer, it is a serious health concern for men yet is rarely advertised or even seemingly funded for research.
The following is from a health site about the issue:
“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australia1 and the third most common cause of cancer death. One in 5 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer by the age of 85. It is more common in older men, with 63% of cases diagnosed in men over 65 years of age.”
One of the tests for Prostate Cancer is the PSA test, which tests for levels of the prostate specific antigen. While not an accurate indicator it is one of the very few tests available to help screen for the disease. Even digital rectal examination is not an accurate indicator but like the PSA test it helps detect changes in the Prostate.
Why is not more spent on making men aware of this disease, why is not more spent on research into it, why are there not more accurate ways of easily testing for this condition or the risk of getting it?
For those who may not be aware of the signs that it could be affecting them here are symptoms associated with it (these signs can also be for benign conditions so if you have them please see your doctor before getting too concerned):
Prostate cancer symptoms
The symptoms can include:
frequent urination, particularly at night
pain on urination
blood in the urine
a weak stream.
More widespread disease often spreads to the bones and gives pain or unexplained weight loss and fatigue.