Prostate cancer is the cancerous growth of the cells inside the prostate . It usually grows slowly over many years . However , in later stages, the growth usually speeds up. In the prostate, the hormone testosterone is converted into DHT, which stimulates the growth of the cancer cells. As the cancer grows , it can spread outside the prostate – usually into the surrounding lymph nodes and bones.

Perhaps one of the greatest areas of health concerns for men over the age of 45 is their prostate , Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, other than skin cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that last year more than1,80,000 new cases were diagnosed in the U.S and that more than 32,000 men died from the disease , making it the second -leading cause of cancer death among men in the country.

The urologists at the Vattikuti Urology Institute specialize in the world's most state-of-the -art treatments of prostate cancer.

The Vattikuti Urology Institute has performed more robotic procedures than any other hospital in the world .Surgeons at the Institute developed the Vattikuti Institute Prostatectomy, (VIP) and were the first in the world to perform the procedure on an outpatient basis. Some of the following questions that the physicians are frequently asked and their answers may help you to better understand various topics about the prostate cancer.

RISKS AND WARNING SIGNS:---

Who is at risk for prostate cancer?

Although prostate cancer generally occurs in older men, younger men can get it too. African -American males and those men who have a family history of prostate cancer have a higher risk of getting it.Therefore , screening and early diagnosis are especially important for individuals at risk.

Are there any warning signs?

Unfortunately , there are no early warning signs of prostate cancer . It usually grows very slowly, and due to its location , many men do not have any physical symptoms .

• Frequent urination

• Blockage of urinary flow

• Dribbling at the end of urination

• The need to get up out of bed and urinates at night.

• Urinary leakage

• Straining to empty the bladder.

• 
  

These symptoms are usually due to benign prostate enlargement , and do not necessarily represent symptoms of prostate cancer.

SCREENING AND DETECTION:---

How is prostate cancer detected?

Early detection of prostate cancer is critical to successful treatment. Most prostatic cancers are initially detected through an elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) test and digital rectal exam (DRE) .A DRE is a gloved finger examination of the prostate through the rectum. The PSA test is a blood test that is used to help screed for prostate cancer .The only conclusive form of detection is biopsy. This is usually done with the aid of ultrasound.

First, I need to apologize for taking such a long absence from this site.  Stan and I are very sorry for suddenly disappearing from this wonderful site but we are now back and we promise to work hard to bring this site back to life.  After some minor changes and fixes this site should be ready to go back to work to keep us connected, in touch with one another, ready to share our stories as well as provide support to one another.<o:p></o:p>

Sadly this past May Stan lost his mother; she passed away only one month after being diagnosed with Lung Cancer.  At the end of April Gail was admitted to the hospital after experiencing some pain in her leg and her stomach.  After a few days and several exams later Doctors diagnosed Gail with Lung Cancer stage IV. Apparently the Cancer had been living inside her for many months and mestasized to her brain, bones and lymph nodes.  As you can imagine the family (her son Stan, her husband and I) were in complete shock and devastated to learn this disease had advanced so quickly and we were only given 6 months to a year to spend with her. This horrible news was given to us in the beginning of May but the worst was still to come.<o:p></o:p>

Two weeks after the Cancer diagnosis Gail was admitted to one of the best Cancer Hospitals in the nation Sloan Kettering Hospital but treatment never started.  Gail had a rare blood disorder (ITP) for many years and was under many different medications to increase her blood platelets as well as blood thinners for blood clots she was prone to develop.  Two days after being admitted to Sloan Kettering Gail had a massive heart attack after one of her blood clots dislodged itself from her leg and traveled up to her heart damaging her heart tissue.  The family had a tough choice to make as Gail was only given a few hours to live. The Doctors said we could take her off life support or just wait for the inevitable. Not only did Gail have a massive heart attack but the tissue in her leg had died and her leg had now developed gangrene.  The Doctors were not very optimistic and even after Gail did survived that first night Doctors said the best decision was to slowly take her off life support as she had too much damage to her heart and the gangrene will quickly travel up her body and signs of gangrene had started to appear in her other leg as well. According to the Doctors amputating her legs will not be a wise decision as there was only a 10% chance of survival.  After a two heated arguments between Stan, the anesthesiologist, cardio-vascular surgeon and two attending physicians Gail had a double amputation.  The family believed that as long as there was a chance for survival we would do our best to keep her alive and give her the opportunity to fight.  We didn’t want to lose her and wanted to give her whatever chance was available.  Gail survived another two weeks never regaining conscience. On May 29^th one month after Gail’s initial Doctors visit Gail passed away.<o:p></o:p>

Thank you for taking the time to read this little entry and being part of our site.

-Stan