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Prostate Cancer - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment using Vitamins

The prostate is lies at the base of your bladder. The front of your prostate surrounds your urethra, the tube that carries urine from your bladder and out through your penis.

Prostate cancer involves a malignant tumor growth within the prostate gland. It can either be cancerous or benign. The outer part of the prostate is most likely to get a cancerous tumour.

Cancerous tumours can grow through your prostate and spread to other parts of your body through the bloodstream or the lymph system, where they may grow and form secondary tumours. This is called a metastasis.

Prostate gland is male reproductive system organ. Cancer occurs when cells of the prostate mutate and begin to multiply out of control. Prostate cancer develops most frequently in men over fifty. This cancer can only occur in men. It is the second most common type of cancer in men in the United States, where it is responsible for more male deaths than any other cancer except lung cancer.

Causes of Prostate cancer:

The important causes of prostate cancer are as:-

• A high dietary fat intake, is the main cause of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is rarely found in men younger than 40.

• Testosterone: Testosterone the male hormone, does not cause prostate cancer but is known to feed its growth. Therefore, some prostate cancer treatments are aimed at blocking the body's production of testosterone.

Risk factors:

The main risk factors include:

• Age: As you get older, your risk of prostate cancer increases. After age 50, your chance of having prostate cancer increases substantially.

• Family history: A family history of prostate cancer, increases the chances to get affected by it.

• Diet: A diet high in animal fat may increase a man's risk for developing prostate cancer, while a diet high in fruits and vegetables (especially tomato-based products) may decrease the risk.

Signs and symptoms:

The main symptoms for prostate cancer are as:-

• An acute pain in your lower pelvic area, gives the indication of prostate cancer.

• If you find any difficulty in starting urination, then there is problem in your prostate gland.

• Pain during urination, is the early symptom of prostate cancer.

• In prostate cancer, you may have Intermittent urine flow.

• A sensation that your bladder doesn't empty.

• During prostate cancer, Blood may be seen in your urine.

• General pain in your lower back, hips or upper thighs.

Treatment:

Vitamin E is an important antioxidant . It acts as a free radical scavenger to prevent the byproducts of chemical-cell interaction to cause cell damage. Free radicals are likely responsible for all or most of the degenerative diseases e.g. arthritis, heart disease, cancer, senility etc. Neutralization or scavenging of free radicals protects cells from this type of injury. Other free radical scavengers include zinc, vitamin C, and selenium. 

Selenium
The role of selenium supplements in reducing the risk of prostate cancer is not clear.  One study showed that only people with low blood selenium levels benefited from taking selenium supplements. Foods rich in selenium include Brazil nuts, wheat germ, bran, brown rice, whole wheat bread, barley, onions, garlic, turnips, soybeans, mushrooms, fish and eggs.