Cancer- Facts and Advice

   Enlargement of prostate gland can be due to 1. Prostate Cancer and 2. BPH. Prostate Cancer- What is Prostate Cancer?  Cancer is abnormal growth and uncontrolled growth of any cell in the body that leads to development of swelling or tumor. When this happen in the cells of prostate then it called prostate cancer. In case of cancer, single of multiple, small tumors start growing inside prostate gland. These cells are continuously dividing and growing. This causes development of many swelling / tumor inside prostate that looks like irregular enlargement of prostate. Is it life threatening?  Sometime, these cells escape from prostate and spreads throughout body via blood or lymph and make many tumor in other organs of body like lung, liver, bone or brain. When these cancer are confined inside prostate is called localized stage of prostate cancer, when it spread up to nearby regional lymph nodes then called Node positive Prostate Cancer or when spread to other organs like lung then calle

 Is I am at risk of getting cancer if....................? Mostly children (sometime parents) ask this question. Today again. So, i tried to explain them that Usually NOT.  About 10% of cases can be hereditary. Generally, if a person having some special pathology and risk factors then he is suspected for familial cancer.  Risk factors for possibility of presence of genetic mutation are- A. If your brother or father has been detected for high risk, advanced or metastatic prostate cancer at age below 60 year,  B. Biopsy is having intraductal or cribriform pattern,  C. If first degree relative died of Prostate Cancer.  Investigation for testing of presence of Genetic mutation- If above, then send family member for counseling with "Genetic counselor". Based on case history and available facts, he may decide need of "Germline" or "Somatic" testing for presence of pathogenic mutation that are responsible for developing cancer. These genetic mutations are Lynch