Cancer is a canker which is eating deep into human lives. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and therefore we’ve decided to talk about it today…Prostate cancer is cancer that starts in the prostate gland. The prostate is a small, walnut-sized structure that makes up part of a man’s reproductive system. It wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body. The main function of the prostate is to help in the production of semen. It produces a thick white fluid that is mixed with the sperm produced by the testicles, to create semen.

It usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs you have it for many years. For reasons not yet understood, prostate cancer is more common in men of African-Caribbean or African descent. Unlike in the past when only old men were diagnosed with the disease, younger men are now diagnosed with prostate cancer, hence, men of all ages must watch out.

Symptoms often only become apparent when your prostate is large enough to affect the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis). When this happens, you may notice things like an increased need to urinate, straining while urinating and a feeling your bladder has not fully emptied.

Apart from the fact that it affects men’s sexuality, it can also send the victim to an early grave. Early detection is a challenge as many men are not likely to see their doctor when they’re ill unless it’s an emergency. But this may be dangerous. Many men would die without even knowing they had the disease as it usually has no symptoms. A few lucky ones may experience the warning signs, especially those at the advanced stages, physicians say.

Factors which may increase your risk of prostate cancer

Being Black/African-American: Black men have the highest rate of prostate cancer diagnosis and death in the world, worse of all, black men seem to get more severe form of the cancer, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, United States of America.

Family history: A man is twice as likely to get the disease if he has one first-degree relative — father, brother, son — with a history of it, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The risk goes up if more relatives are affected. It can also be inherited from the mother’s family.

Heavy weight:  Being overweight or obese is a prostate cancer risk, according to many studies. Researchers found that men who put on extra weight in their 20s and 30s face a higher risk. Experts believe that too much body fat throws off the body’s normal production of insulin and testosterone, which may fuel growth of prostate cancer cells.

But that’s not just the fear of prostate cancer here as too much belly fat and a high-fat diet can also raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes

Fatty foods: Eating fatty and fried food is also a problem. It’s better to restrain the strong bond you’ve formed with McDonalds and KFC. Dietary fat may not only help cause prostate cancer, but it may also affect the way it progresses — how fast cancer cells proliferate, their ability to spread and the body’s ability to fight off this invasion.  Foods high in saturated fats, especially from animal products such as red meat and dairy are the worst dietary trigger for prostate cancer.

Symptoms

• needing to urinate more frequently, often during the night (don’t worry if you drink too much before going to bed)
• needing to rush to the toilet
• difficulty in starting to urinate or pee (hesitancy)
• straining or taking a long time while urinating
• weak flow
• feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully

If you experience bone and back pain, a loss of appetite, pain in the testicles, and unexplained weight loss it’s time to go check yourself out. Men, there is a no macho feeling when it comes to cancer. Cancer does not care, you have to!