Breast Cancer in Men Isn't Possible is It? - Wise Guys Check Breasts

Breast cancer in men does happen. Yes. Male breast cancer exists.

Like women, men have breast tissue and the types of breast cancer in men, are similar to women. Not all men understand that male breast cancer is not only a womens health issue, but one that both sexes must be aware of. Men must know basic information and risk factors about male breast cancer.
Males who understand the signs of breast cancer, are in the minority. Most men do not know about male breast cancer, and do not realise that it is possible for them to have a breast lump. Signs of breast cancer are sometimes missed and found later down the track, therefore it can reduce options available.

It is difficult for a man to get his head around, to process and accept he has breast cancer. In a man? Really, no, it cant be, isn't it a woman's disease? Men have been known to think that women are the unlucky ones who find a breast lump, and that men don't experience male breast cancer. Yes they can. Sorry men, it is perceived as a women's disease, but it is not only us who must do self breast exams (BSE) and visual observations. Welcome to the club.

Guys, here are some signs of breast cancer you need to know about.

• Breast lump
• Indentations
• Puckering
• Nipple discharge
• Rash
• Itching
• Lesion or sore
• Redness
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Changes in colour of nipple or chest

Blokes, here are breast cancer risk factors.

• Age. More common in men as they age.
• Family members. Know your family history?
• A breast cancer gene may increase your risk.
• Exposure to radiation to your chest when younger.
• Klinefelters syndrome. This is when men have an extra x chromosome, so they do not make as much testosterone.
• Estrogen. Have prostate cancer hormone therapy? This can raise your risk, so you need to be aware and do regular breast examinations.
• Obesity. You have more fat cells that are converting androgens into estrogen, therefore elevating levels and increasing your risk.
• Alcohol. Might be an idea to look at the amount you are drinking and possibly reduce.

Men, don't let breast lumps be a risk. Depending on where abouts in the world you live, men get called all sorts of various names. Blokes, Guys, Men, Jokers, Boys, and if you are lucky, Dear. Whatever you like to be called, please understand that you may be at risk of having male breast cancer and that whilst it is not common, it is possible to have, regardless of where you live.
Be active in your breast self exam and encourage the women in your life, to do the same. Fear is often a reason why breast examination is not done, so if you have a partner, why not remind and support each other to do breast self exam each month, and hopefully breast cancer in men and women can be caught earlier.

If you were to discover a breast lump, please seek medical attention. This is not something that you should delay doing. Sometimes it can be difficult to get a man to visit a doctor, however this is one of those times that you do need to pick up the phone and make an appointment as soon as possible. Early detection is key!

Do Men With Prostate Cancer Who Undergo Surgery Need Radiation Therapy, Too?

There are a number of treatment options for men with prostate cancer. These include a surgical procedure, known as radical prostatectomy, as well as radiation therapy (hereafter referred to as RT). Are there any situations wherein a man who undergoes a radical prostatectomy will need RT afterwards?

The answer is yes, in special circumstances. Such RT is known as salvage radiotherapy, and is advisable for men whose PSA levels rise after surgery, as well as for those whose PSA levels never fully decline. The reason is that this additional treatment can increase the odds of survival for such men.

A recent study reviewed the data of 635 men with rising PSA levels after radical prostatectomy. In the study, 160 of the men received salvage RT, 78 received salvage RT and hormonal therapy (which lowers the level of prostate cancer stimulating male hormones in the blood stream), and 397 received no treatment.

Over the ensuing ten years, of the men who received salvage RT alone or salvage RT plus hormonal therapy, the rate of death from prostate cancer was nearly 60% less than that of the men who were not treated.

Salvage RT is noted to be most beneficial for men with rising PSA levels when it is administered promptly after the problem is identified. In contrast, if men with climbing PSA levels defer RT more than two years after the initial PSA spike, no benefit is noted.

Additional analysis revealed that the beneficial effect of salvage RT was confined to those men whose PSA levels doubled in less than six months, suggesting that a rapid PSA doubling time is indicative of more aggressive disease.

Therefore, the good news is that for men whose PSA levels climb after radical prostatectomy, RT can be life saving

The Effects of Diabetes on Men's Health

Good health is important among other factors for enjoying a blissful sex life. At the same time, there are some factors, which have negative effect on the health of men and women. These include aging, stress and disease. One of the diseases that seriously influence sexual- health in men is diabetes. Recent researches have concluded that over half of the men suffering from diabetes may experience poor sexual health or even impotence.

It is crucial for diabetics and their partners to understand how and why this happens. Sexual arousal and erection in men is caused by excitement signals released by nerves and by increased flow of blood into the penis. Diabetics often suffer from impaired nerves and blood vessels, which reduces the blood flow to the penis. This may be a direct result of the disease or the side effect of drugs that are taken for treating diabetes. The longer a person suffers from diabetes, more are the chances of his suffering from poor health.

In order to manage this problem, we recommend that diabetic male patients follow the tips given below:

• Talk to your partner. This will help release tension in your sexual relationship and will help in coming to terms with the situation.
• Take advice of your doctor. You should discuss the issue of your health with your doctor as he may alter the medicines you are taking for diabetes.
• Keep your blood glucose levels in check by regularly taking medicines, and adopting healthier life-style.
• Explore other issues that may be aggravating the problems such as alcohol, stress or any other psychological problems.

In addition to these tips, there are options available for diabetic men that help them achieve better sexual-health. These include health supplements, local creams, medicines, devices and surgery. However, you should be fully research and verify them before you start using them to improve your sexual- health.

Type 2 Diabetes - Erectile Dysfunction And Finding Coronary Artery Disease In Men With Diabetes

Coronary artery disease is a common and sometimes deadly complication of Type 2 diabetes. People with diabetes have deadly heart attacks at rates 2 to 4 times greater than non-diabetics. People with diabetes are often unable to feel the chest pain that can accompany coronary artery disease (CAD) in non-diabetics, and so the disease can progress insidiously.

Screening for CAD is problematic. Screening usually starts with an electrocardiogram, or EKG. Unless a person is actively having a heart attack, CAD can easily go undetected. Stress tests with X-ray imaging and more invasive testing are expensive and carry some risk.

Doctors can decide to screen for diseased heart arteries or CAD based upon risk factors. Factors that put people at risk include:

• high blood pressure,
• high cholesterol,
• fat in the blood,
• family history of heart disease, and
• smoking.

Men with coronary artery disease can suffer from erectile dysfunction, and investigators at the Center for Applied Clinical Research in Pavia, Italy conducted a study on the possibility of using erectile dysfunction along with other risk factors as a guide to screening for this form of artery problem. Their work was published in the journal Endocrine in August 2011.
Two hundred and ninety-three men with Type 2 diabetes were enrolled in the study.

• seventy-four of them were found to have coronary artery disease...
• erectile dysfunction was found to be more common in men with this problem than in those with normal coronary arteries,
• some men with coronary artery disease had erectile dysfunction without other risk factors. In this group, if erectile dysfunction had been used as a criterion for screening, 27 per cent more men with coronary artery disease would have been found than if the traditional risk factors alone had been used.

It was therefore concluded erectile dysfunction can help to find disease of the coronary arteries if it is used as a criterion for testing.
To prevent CAD, patients need to keep:

• their diabetes under control,
• keep cholesterol within normal limits,
• avoid smoking,
• normalize their weight, and
• take part in physical activity on a daily basis.

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels should ideally be under 7 per cent and total cholesterol should be under 200. A normal body mass index is between 18.5 and 24.9. Type 2 diabetics need to monitor their blood sugar and weight and have regular testing for their hemoglobin A1c level, cholesterol and blood fats. Male diabetics should tell their doctor if they suffer erectile dysfunction so their doctor can decide whether further testing for coronary artery disease is warranted.

It's Ridiculous Men Still Smoke Despite Increased Chances Of Getting ED

For years doctors have always said smoking is bad for you, but now I think men should be taking that advice more seriously as it looks like smoking can lead to erectile dysfunction! Yes indeed you can go limp from smoking according to a December 2007 study conducted at Temple University School of Medicine and Hospital in Philadelphia. I was truly surprised to learn that researchers found that men who smoke at least a pack of cigarettes a day are almost 40 percent more likely to be struck with erectile dysfunction than men who don't smoke. This is because smoking delivers nicotine and other chemicals that restrict blood vessels in the body and particularly in the penis. With this definitive research, I honestly cannot believe men still continue to smoke even though it could jeopardize their ability to have sex in the future.

The Temple University journal called Tobacco Control, recently published a study of 8,000 Australian men between the ages of 16 and 60 found that those who smoked less than a pack a day had a 25 percent increased risk of erectile problems. As the number of cigarettes men smoked went up, so did their chances of be stricken with erectile dysfunction. Specifically, those men who typically smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day increased their risk of erectile dysfunction by 40 percent. Another recent study done by the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that male smokers in their 40's were more likely to experience erectile difficulties than older non-smoking males. The risk of erectile dysfunction was nearly doubled for smoking men in their 40's compared to non-smokers in their 50's.

If the risk of death wasn't reason enough to quit smoking, how about knowing it will also kill your erection? Medical researchers cited erectile dysfunction could easily be avoided by men who stop smoking and change their lifestyle habits. Other health issues that seriously increase the chance of men to be stricken with erectile dysfunction include obesity, heavy alcohol consumption, recreational drug, as well as a lifestyle without regular exercise said doctors at Temple University. It's clear that you should think twice the next you light up a cigarette or cigar because you're really destroying your sex life not to mention your life.

What to Know About the Prostate Cancer TURP Procedure

Transurethral resection of the prostate, better known as the TURP procedure, has been used extensively for many years to treat men who have benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH or sometimes simply called "enlarged prostate"), but it also can be used to treat symptomatic prostate cancer.

Who Could Benefit from a TURP Procedure?

The TURP procedure is used mostly to relieve urinary symptoms.

The TURP procedure is used most commonly in men with BPH who have significant problems urinating despite trying medication.

It can also be used to treat men with prostate cancer who have problems urinating. The TURP procedure cannot be used to cure prostate cancer because it removes only the parts of the prostate that are closest to the urethra, while leaving the majority of the gland intact.

Because the TURP procedure, when used in men with prostate cancer, is meant to relieve symptoms but not to cure the cancer, it is called a palliative procedure.

What Is the TURP Procedure?

A TURP procedure involves the removal of the portions of the prostate gland immediately surrounding the urethra.

To do this, a surgeon inserts an instrument known as a resectoscope into the penis, through the urethra, and up to the prostate. Once positioned correctly in the prostatic portion of the urethra, the resectoscope uses an electrically activated wire loop to cut the nearby prostate tissue away. The procedure does not require an incision through the skin.

The procedure requires general anesthesia (you are unconscious) or a type of anesthesia that results in numbing of the lower half of your body. Overall, the procedure takes roughly one hour.

Following the surgery, a catheter will be inserted into the bladder and left there for a few days to ensure that urine can pass freely out of the body. Most men need to stay in the hospital for a few days following surgery.

Potential complications or side effects of the TURP procedure include blood in the urine, infection, post-operative pain, and all of the potential complications associated with anesthesia.

<sub>Source:

Rassweiler J, Teber D, Kuntz R, Hofmann R. Complications of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)--incidence, management, and prevention. Eur Urol. 2006 Nov;50(5):969-79; discussion 980. Epub 2006 Jan 30.</sub>

What Do Your Prostate Cancer Grade and Gleason Score Mean?

What Is Cancer “Grading”?

After a biopsy is taken and prostate cancer is diagnosed, the “grade” of your cancer will be determined. This is done by examining cells from the cancer under a microscope to decide how abnormal the cancer cells are.

The more abnormal the cancer cells are, the more likely the cancer is to be aggressive or to spread quickly outside of the prostate. The grade of your cancer is an important piece of information for your physicians to have when deciding upon the proper treatment.

The most common scale for prostate cancer grading is the Gleason score.

What Is the Gleason Score?

When cells from the prostate are examined under a microscope, the pathologist will identify many types of cells that range from very normal, non-aggressive cells to very abnormal, aggressive cells. The pathologist determines which type of cell is the most common and which type is the second most common.

Each of these two cell types is then given a score from 1 to 5. Higher numbers in this system mean more abnormal, aggressive cancer cells.

Because the two most common types of cancer cells are identified in the prostate, the Gleason score is a combination of these two cells types.

For example, if the most common cell type is a 3 (on the 1 to 5 scale) and the second most common type is a 4, then the Gleason score is reported as a 7 or sometimes as a “3+4”.

Similarly, if the most common cell type found is a 3 and the second most common type is a 2, then your Gleason score is a 5 or “3+2”.

For the most part, the lower your overall Gleason score is, the less aggressive the cancer and the better your prognosis.

Sources:

Allsbrook Jr WC, Mangold KA, Yang X, et al. The Gleason grading system: an overview. J Urologic Path 10:141-157, 1999.
Gleason DF. Histology grading of prostate cancer: a perspective. Hum Path 23:273-279, 1992.