Friday, July 25, 2008

Does prostatitis lead to prostate cancer?

The cause of prostate cancer is hard to pin down. Diet and genetics are huge factors. But increasingly, mainstream medical research is starting to uncover the link between prostatitis/BPH and prostate cancer....
....and the fact that former often leads to the latter.

If you leak, get up frequently in the night to pee, experience urinary burn, urgency, or even feel pain during ejaculation …. be aware these rather benign symptoms of prostatitis and BHP may get worse as you age ... and mainstream doctors may not be advising you on how to treat the cause for them.

Sure, they’ll monitor your prostate – probably enlarged – with annual digital exams and a PSA test. The latter is critical to guard against the worst-case scenario, cancer, and catching it early. They may prescribe drugs, like Avodart or Flomax, which claim to shrink the prostate and stop the symptoms over time.

But the question to ask your physician is whether any remedy they recommend will quell the chronic inflammation associated with prostatitis/BPH….because the inflammation, as it turns out, is a breeding ground for prostate cancer.

Eight years of inflammation

That’s what doctors did with me for eight years – they monitored my enlarged prostate and gave me round after round of antibiotics for my increasingly frequent bouts with acute bacterial prostatitis. (Which was misdiagnosed, by the way, as chronic bladder infections.)

It got so bad, I was rushed to the hospital with acute urinary retention -- the inability to pee -- because the inflammation squeezed shut the urethra. Talk about misery...predictably, they gave me more powerful antibiotics, which provided relief. But for how long?

I finally sought out an alternative healthcare practitioner to help me attack the “cause” rather than the “symptoms” of my problems. But it was too late. Soon after I headed down the road toward prostate health (colon cleanses, saw palmetto extracts, massage, etc.— more on all this later), I received the cancer diagnosis.

Mainstream Western medicine has been a true blessing with handling the big stuff, the cancer….but clearly lacking in everything that led up to it.

The road to PC is orderly

As I had learned too late, prostate disease tends to occur in an orderly fashion – prostatitis first, followed by BPH (benign prostate hypertasia), and finally the prostate cancer.

Even the doctors will tell you that prostatitis often starts in young men who can be in their teens, 20s, 30s ad 40s. BPH tends to occur in men over 50. And prostate cancer is most often diagnosed in men in their 60s and 70s.

It’s an orderly march, not inevitably ending with cancer – but the potential is there.

The truth is prostatitis is almost always found in conjunction with prostate cancer. In 1979, Drs. Kohnen and Drach found that 98 percent of surgically removed prostates showed signs of inflammation—the telltale sign of prostatitis. Urologist Timothy Moon, of the University of Wisconsin, and others report that 100 percent of the surgical and biopsied specimens they have examined, indicate the existence of prostatitis.

Not surprisingly, my biopsy revealed an inflamed prostate filled with prostatitis and some BPH….along with the clustered specs of cancer.

Looking for hard science?

Still, Western physicians – my urologist and internist included – are often dismissive of the idea that prostatitis is a cause of prostate cancer. Even if suspicious, many will tell you there’s just not enough hard science to link the two.

Until now….

Because Johns Hopkins researchers have now produced some hard science that supports the idea that inflammation of the prostate -- the very definition of prostatitis – is a likely precursor for prostate cancer.

An enlarged prostate due to chronic inflammation....a cause of cancer? Of course, this changes everything, in terms of what men should do if they experience the symptoms associated with prostatitis or BPH....or if diagnosed with an enlarged prostate.

If my doctors had told me – eight years ago – that my enlarged prostate and urinary tract problems were potentially stage one on the road to cancer, I would’ve aggressively begun a process of improving my overall prostate health. Then…not later.

I could’ve fought against the inflammation that sets in motion a series of cellular events that often leads to the cancer.

But I didn’t know.

Like most of the male population with prostatitis – THE MOST COMMON UROLOGICAL DISEASE IN AMERICA – we sit on our “benign” enlarged prostates, not thinking about how dangerous this condition is.

Yet…..whether our prostates are growing OUT (bigger in size) or growing IN (squeezing the urethra, causing urination problems) – the chronic inflammation in the prostate has become a potential breeding ground for malignant cells….

Okay, here’s the science

Straight from Johns Hopkins….

“Today scientists know that inflammatory cells produce free radicals—toxic molecules that can damage cells, especially cellular DNA. This type of DNA damage (also called oxidative damage) can cause genetic alterations (mutations) that lead to the uncontrolled cell division that characterizes cancer.

“Pathologists have found pockets of inflammation in the midst of cancerous prostate cells and abnormal (probably precancerous) cells known as prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). Around the areas of inflammation, they discovered something new—groups of cells that look as if they are dying (atrophying) but are actually dividing (proliferating). The Hopkins researchers named these bizarre groups of cells proliferative inflammatory atrophy (PIA) and believe them to be either the very beginning of cancer formation or perhaps a breeding ground for prostate cancer.

“These areas containing PIA show high levels of an enzyme called glutathione S-transferase (GST), a critical substance that helps protect DNA from free radical damage. Ultimately, the gene that produces GST becomes inactivated in these areas of inflammation. GST production is halted, and the surrounding cells lose their DNA protection. Gene mutations may result, and the mutated genes may lead to prostate cancer.

“The theory is that inflammation—perhaps triggered by chronic infection, in conjunction with dietary or hereditary factors—leads to the DNA damage and the gene mutations that set prostate cancer in motion.”

Other evidence

Indirect evidence, gathered over many years, supports this inflammation-prostate cancer link. Some population-based studies, for example, have found a lower risk of prostate cancer among men who take inflammation-reducing medications or follow dietary patterns that are less likely to promote inflammation.

Several population-based studies have suggested that men who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including aspirin, have a lower risk of developing prostate cancer. In one large study of more than 90,000 men participating in the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care program, those who took six aspirin a day had a 24 percent risk reduction of developing prostate cancer.

Chronic inflammation of other organs is commonly associated with various cancers. One needs only to look at the connection between hepatitis and liver cancer.....inflammation of the lower esophagus and esophageal cancer … ulcerative colitis and colon cancer … to see this phenomenon in action.

Look at your diet first

Dietary habits also influence inflammation. The typical American diet— high in saturated fat, sugar, and red meat and low in fiber, fruits, and vegetables—encourages inflammation (not to mention obesity and heart disease).

Reducing your intake of saturated fat—found primarily in animal-based products such as meat, poultry, whole milk products, butter, and cheese—and increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables are important first steps to discouraging inflammation and thus reducing your risk of prostate cancer.

(This post served as the basis for expanding upon the prostate cancer-inflammation-diet connection in The Prostate Storm)

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a very good post. All men should know about the risks of Prostate Cancer. The eralier they know, the sooner it can be sorted

sturm said...

I sit here in tears wishing I would have known last year what I know now. I'm not sure exactly why my sentiments are so out of control. Partly because I didn't know at the time what you, Lorraine, or Nick were going through and I would have prayed like there was no tomorrow for all of you. I know the ordeal. My Dad went through chemo one year ago, this time for non Hodgkins lymphoma. Over ten years ago it was for PC. He had surgery/radiation at that time, it was the best option for him. But even more important is that I will be forwarding this to my three brothers and my two sons. As a single mom and no medical info to give my sons regarding any hereditary factors (both are deceased) I believe if they read your wonderfully written story they will never forget it and have their eyes open to something they really do not like talking to their dear old mom about! Thank you, you are an extremely talented survivor and I will always keep you and yours in my prayers...Toni Sturm

Unknown said...

Men should really be aware of prostate cancer since it is really common for them. Before it gets worse, one should be aware of what the symptoms of prostatitis are.

Unknown said...

We provide chronic prostatitis treatment in our hospital.

Unknown said...

We also provide prostate cancer treatment and Prostate enlargement treatment in our hospital.

Unknown said...

By the way... Awesome post.
Regards: Lyfboat

Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful blog. Every post on this blog is very informative. Prostatitis is a common disease. It is caused by the infection of the bacteria in the prostate. Best prostatitis problem

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