2024-04-12 23:21:12
OJ Simpson has died of complications from cancer. It was probably prostate cancer. What makes this particularly common cancer.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men – even the most common in Germany. Why the risk of this cancer is so high and what the symptoms are.
What is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor of the male prostate gland – the so-called prostate. The prostate is part of the internal male sexual organs. In addition to glandular tissue, it mainly consists of muscle and connective tissue. The main job of the prostate is to produce and store a milky fluid. This prostate secretion makes up the majority of sperm.
In prostate cancer, malignant tumors arise on the skin or mucous membrane of the organ. Sometimes the cancer cells multiply very quickly. However, prostate cancer often only grows slowly – if at all – and therefore has a favorable prognosis. Therefore, prostate cancer can progress in different ways.
Prostate cancer: these are the symptoms
Initially, prostate cancer often does not cause any symptoms. By the time the cancer becomes noticeable through symptoms, it is usually already more advanced. If the tumor spreads to the urethra as it grows, problems typically arise with urination and/or sexual intercourse. Specifically, the following symptoms can occur with advanced prostate cancer:
- Difficulty at the beginning of urination
- weaker erection up to impotence
- painful and reduced ejaculation
- Blood in urine or semen
This is what is known about the causes of prostate cancer
What exactly causes prostate cancer is still largely unknown. What is certain, however, is that the male sex hormone testosterone plays a role in its development: without this hormone, prostate cancer cannot form.
There are also various factors that have been proven to promote the development of carcinomas in the prostate. The most important risk factor for prostate cancer is age: the older a man is, the higher his risk of developing prostate cancer. Men under 50 are rarely affected.
The extent to which lifestyle or environmental influences increase the risk of prostate cancer has not yet been sufficiently investigated. However, the following factors are generally considered risk factors for the development of cancer:
- Smoke
- Alcohol
- unhealthy diet
- Lack of exercise
- Overweight