Showing posts with label Prostate Cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prostate Cancer. Show all posts

Prostate Cancer ICD-9 Code

Prostate cancer occurs when a group is found abnormal cells in the prostate. First, the cells will be limited to the gland, but may eventually spread or metastasize to other areas. There is a better prognosis if the cancer is detected early while still confined to the prostate.
 
 
Prostate cancer is the ICD-9-CM diagnosis code 185 is assigned. Carcinoma in situ of the prostate to code classifies 233.4 and a benign tumor of the prostate is to code 222.2. If it documented that the formation of the seminal vesicles is, codes have 187.8 for malignant cancer, 233.6. For carcinoma in situ, and 222.8 for benign tumor.
 
Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN), a precancerous lesions and a common precursor of prostate cancer. There are three levels of PIN: PIN 1 and PIN 2 are to code 602.3, classified dysplasia of the prostate. PIN 3 is to code 233.4, indexed carcinoma in situ of the prostate (AHA Coding Clinic for ICD-9-CM, 2001, in the fourth quarter, page 46).
 
Malignant prostate cancer can metastasize to other sites, including the bladder or urethra (198.1), bone (198.5), intrapelvic lymph nodes as iliac or sacral (196.6), intraabdominal (periaortic) lymph nodes (196.2), or seminal vesicles (198.82) .

Prostate Cancer Stages

As prostate cancer progresses from Stage I to Stage IV, the cancer cells grow in the prostate, through the outer layer of the prostate into the surrounding tissue, and then to lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
 
The following stages are used for prostate cancer:
 
Prostate Cancer Stages
 
 
Stage I
 
In stage I, cancer is found only in the prostate. Cancer:
 
  • by needle biopsy (such as for a high PSA level) or in a small amount of tissue during surgery for other reasons (such as benign prostatic hyperplasia) have been found. The PSA level is lower than 10 and the Gleason score 6 or lower, or
  • is found in a half or less of a lobe of the prostate. The PSA level is lower than 10 and the Gleason score 6 or lower, or
  • can not be felt during a digital rectal exam and is not visible by imaging. Cancer has been found in the one-half or less of a lobe of the prostate. The PSA level and the Gleason score are not known.
Stage II
 
In stage II, cancer is more advanced than in stage I, but has not spread outside the prostate. Stage II is divided into stage IIA and stage IIB.
 
In stage IIA, cancer: 
 
  •  by needle biopsy (such as for a high PSA level) or in a small amount of tissue during surgery for other reasons (such as benign prostatic hyperplasia) have been found. The PSA level is lower than 20 and the Gleason score is 7 or
  • by needle biopsy (such as for a high PSA level) or in a small amount of tissue during surgery for other reasons (such as benign prostatic hyperplasia) have been found. The PSA level of at least 10 but less than 20 and the Gleason score is 6 or lower, or
  • is found in a half or less of a lobe of the prostate. The PSA level of at least 10 but less than 20 and the Gleason score is 6 or lower, or
  • is found in a half or less of a lobe of the prostate. The PSA level is lower than 20 and the Gleason score is 7 or
  • has been found more than half of one lobe of the prostate. The PSA level is lower than 20 and the Gleason score of 7 or lower, or
  • has been found more than half of one lobe of the prostate. The PSA level and the Gleason score are not known.
In stage IIB, cancer: 
 
  • found in the opposite sides of the prostate. The PSA can be any level and the Gleason score can range 2-10, or
  • can not be felt during a digital rectal exam and is not visible by imaging and tumor spread outside the prostate. The PSA level 20 or higher and the Gleason score can range 2-10, or
  • can not be felt during a digital rectal exam and is not visible by imaging and tumor spread outside the prostate. The PSA can be any level and the Gleason score is 8 or higher.
Stage III
 
In Stage III, the cancer has spread beyond the prostate and outer layer are spread to the seminal vesicles. The PSA can be any level and Gleason score may range 2 to 10
 
Stage IV
 
In stage IV, each of the PSA level and Gleason score may range 2 to 10 Even cancer:
 
  • has spread to the seminal vesicles nearby tissues or organs such as the rectum, bladder, or pelvic wall, or
  • may have spread to the seminal vesicles and nearby tissue or organs such as the rectum, bladder, or pelvic wall. Cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, or
  • has to distant parts of the body, including the lymph nodes or bone may spread. Prostate cancer often spreads to the bone.

How to Detect Prostate Cancer - Prostate Biopsy

Many studies have proved that changes at the level of prostate can take place, these one ending up with the developing the condition known as prostate cancer. Every man is prone to cross these changes within his lifetime especially when passing the middle age period.
 
 
When the prostate manifests a strange enlargement, then there are always the risks of presenting some sort of cancerous growth. In order to determine whether or not this protuberance is related to cancer you should run some tests, the main one being blood test to establish the levels of PSA - prostate specific antigen. If this one is not relevant enough then you might have to perform of biopsy at the level of your prostate.
 
Biopsy test is primarily done by inserting a probe into the rectal orifice which reaches the gland where from tiny parts of tissue are removed to be analyzed more thoroughly. Although this needle that extracts the tissue is very small it may cause some wounds that end up with bleeding, the same way any other wound bleeds.
 
The difference here is that the area where the wound manifests is not prone to heal that fast as a wound heals when exposed to the air. Take for instance the cut at your hand. When this happens the wound is very much assisted in its healing by the external agents which help into forming a scab which later falls leaving the place completely healed.
 
But with the presence of a wound inside your body, the scab that forms is exposed to dislocation before falling naturally. Consider this: there are many strains that you need to put your prostate gland into, such as moving around, urinating and so on. While these moves have a reflection on the inner parts of your body system, chances are for the scab formed on the prostate tiny wound to dislodge and cause again bleeding.
 
Depending on the type of person that you are, on the overall state of your health, the ability of your blood to clot faster and stop the bleeding varies. Another thing that you might experience if the bleeding continues is stains of blood in the urine stream, semen and at the rectum level. In case the bleeding was heavier and longer in time then you should seek medical treatment.

Life Expectancy in Patients Suffering from Prostate Cancer

If you suffer from prostate cancer you will want to know what statistics say related to life expectancy. But the matter of fact is that it will all depends on how each body reacts to condition's manifestation and how ready an organism is to face this condition and its treatment and consequences. It is true that people who are not sick are more apt to live a longer life, but with so many unpredictable things happening around this has become quite a fact to make us look towards death as a fact chasing from around the corner of our daily existence.
 
 
But coming back to out topic we have to specify that if you are a patient suffering from prostate cancer this doesn't have to involve a death sentence hanging above your head. The following facts will cast some light over this condition:
 
* Prostate cancer is a type of carcinoma that is known to grow very slow. This fact can obviously lead to many years extended to your life.
 
* This condition is known to evolve in four separate stages, with the last one being the most damaging. On the other hand the life expectancy will also be dependant on the stage you have been diagnosed as suffering from prostate cancer. The earlier the stage, the longer your life is.
 
* Prostate cancer is mostly developed with senior people and it has been statistically shown that one man in 10 can contract a malignant type of this cancer as he grows older.
 
If we consider all the data released by all the known cancer associations across USA and many others across the globe, we reach the conclusion that 92% of those patients who have been found to suffer from prostate cancer will survive at least 5 years after the diagnosis was set. Although this life expectancy might not be what you have expected for, just consider that this condition installs primarily with people aged more than 60, 70. This doesn't mean that they shouldn't have the right to live more, but there are pretty good chances to survive more than scary 5 years if the condition is detected in its early stages.

Prostate Cancer - Zinc as a Way to Maintain a Healthy Prostate

There are many things that men can do in order to reduce the risks of manifesting prostate cancer at a certain period of their life. It has been statistically proven that one in 10 men aged more than 60 are more prone to develop a cancerous condition at the level of their prostate gland. But researches have found zinc as an important mineral to help men maintain a healthy prostate and thus reducing considerably the risks of manifesting cancerous disease at this gland level.
 
 
If the normal dose of zinc is daily taken, then the condition of your prostate will be improved and also maintained at its functional level. It has been researched that the tissue that is affected by prostate cancer has significant lower levels of zinc, so it makes only logical sense to believe that once zinc is present at its normal levels, the cancerous condition is kept away.
 
In males, as compared to females, the level of zinc is higher in the prostate tissue, this determining the researchers to put a great emphasis on the existence of this mineral in males organisms. It is the moreover important given the fact that prostate cancer has been found the second cause of death among males aged more than 60.
 
Growing older, many men are tempted to lessen their exercising and as they turn 50 or 60 their eating habits also change into worse. They seem to consume less fruits and veggies which are rich in zinc, and focus more on fat diets and sugars. These two are as well leading causes to obesity and diabetes in older people.
 
The indication of good levels of zinc within prostate gland tissue is definitely a positive thing, however there are still cases when prostate cancer develops which puzzles the doctors and researchers the most. One thing is certain and which makes doctors and researchers alike to be very definite: once a man is found with lower levels of zinc within their prostate gland tissue, then they are more prone to develop prostate cancer.
 
In order to prevent these levels from lowering you are recommended to bring changes within your diet and supplement your meals with prostate health supplement that is known to contain zinc. The diet should include the consumption of dark leafy fruits, veggies, nuts and fish.

Prostate Cancer Treatment that Is Used for Those Suffering from Recurrent Form

It is bad enough that you've been diagnosed as suffering from prostate cancer, but when you are the one suffering from recurrent prostate cancer, then things are kind of more than bad, if not devastating! This is not valid only for you as a patient, but also for the ones around you. First of al you will be prescribed with a treatment plan that your doctor will design to assist you with this condition.
 
 
The following treatment plans are most often recommended by your physician when diagnosed to suffer from recurrent prostate cancer:
 
* Undertaking a radiation therapy. This is one option that many physicians will go for. It includes a procedure of radiating the body with a high energy coming from neutrons, protons, x-rays and gamma rays. There are as well other sources available out there to kill the cells affected by this cancerous condition assisting as such into shrinking the existing tumors. This treatment can be provided under two separate ways:
 
1. Coming from a machinery that is placed outside your body and is known as the one that beams the radiation towards your body, and
 
2. Coming from a radioactive material that is inserted within your body close to the area where the tumor is located. It is mostly referred as the internal radiation therapy.
 
* Hormone therapy is another prostate cancer treatment that is designed to remove, add or block hormones. When you are diagnosed with the recurrent form of this cancer, this treatment might help in preventing cancerous growth. This type of treatment has given good results in curing breast cancer condition.
 
* Prostatectomy is the solution that physicians resort to when none of the conventional methods have worked with your condition. Through this method you will have surgically removed a part or the entire prostate and most certainly the surrounding tissue.
 
* Through chemotherapy, which is a common treatment not only in cases of prostate cancer but in almost all of the cancerous formations, one can get various side effects. This is why it is almost all the time recommended as the last resort in cases of cancer.
 
It might be as well other treatment options, but it is very important for these ones to be thoroughly discussed with your physician who can exhibit also the existence of any potential side effects.

Running a PSA Test for Detecting Prostate Cancer

When symptoms manifest to show the possible presence of prostate cancer, then some tests can be run in order to determine the installation of this condition. Since many of its symptoms are similar with other infections presented at prostate gland level, it is recommended to have the tests taken as soon as possible. It is very important to do this, since with the earlier you detect the condition the increased are the chances of curing it.
 
 
One test that you should run is PSA testing that provides information related to the abnormalities appeared at the prostate gland level. These abnormalities can occur as a result of infections, enlarged prostate gland up to the presence of a tumor. PSA comes as the abbreviation for the Prostate Specific Antigen. Antigens are components that prostate gland produces and can be found in the blood stream.
 
When the level of these antigens is presented low then you have a healthy prostate gland. It might occur that with aging this level to increase but this can be normal, considering the age, and the way you have your sex life performed. Rectal exams can as well indicate any infectious presence or a protuberance that grows at the prostate gland level.
 
In case you are under medication (such as Statin, for instance) to lower the levels of cholesterol, you should know that this one can affect as well the levels of antigens presented in PSA testing. But we need to make clear one thing here: if you attempt in lowering the antigen levels this doesn't mean that prostate cancer can be prevented or cured.
 
There are many reasons to determine you take a PSA test:
 
1. To determine whether or not the prostate cancer is present. On the other hand not al abnormalities are indication of cancerous condition at that level, which makes this test a more relevant one in addition to other tests.
 
2. To determine how effective a treatment is once it has been nominated one in curing prostate cancer. If as a patient suffering from this condition you have undergone a surgical intervention to remove the tumor, then the efficiency of this test is seen in the blood stream where antigen levels lack completely.

Things to Know on Progesterone Cream when Suffering from Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a form of tumor that starts developing at the level of your prostate gland. Men aged over 60 are more prone to manifest this condition and when the symptoms occur to indicate the presence of this cancer, everybody should seek medical consultation and run some tests. Because this condition is very similar in manifestation with other infections presented at prostate level, people tend to let it be instead of seeking medical help. The earlier detection of this disease improves the chances of curing. 
 
Research studies done on this type of cancer have proved that progesterone can reverse many forms of cancer let alone prevent them. As to estrogen, this has been found responsible of the imbalances that lead to the formation of breast cancer and prostate cancer. Once the level of progesterone is lower than the one of estrogen, the only consequence resulting from here is the installation of prostate and breast cancer. It has been also found that the use of progesterone cream has little effect on the body system. The thing here is that its effect lasts no more than 5 minutes once this cream enters the blood stream.
 
As mentioned above, this form of cancer occurs mostly in men aged more than 60 and it has been found as the most common diseases in men at this stage of life. The symptoms are: reduced urine flow, fluctuations in the urination need, pains upon urinating and many others. Many men have the preconception that progesterone is a that hormone that only women produce, but this is wrong. Apart from this, men also produce hormones like estradiol and estrogen, although their level is not that high as it is in women.
 
There are many doctors prescribing progesterone cream for patients suffering from prostate cancer given the fact that with aging the level of this hormone decreases considerably. This method of treatment is often prescribed as an alternative to other treatments since it is meant to bring the balance at the hormonal level. One thing that men are advised to watch for: this cream can have various side effects if not applied carefully. You should check always with the right dosage and apply it in accordance with the qualified guidance of a professional trained in medical procedures.

 


 

Guaranteed Ways to Help You Survive Prostate Cancer

As a patient suffering from prostate cancer you will try to find all sorts of tips that will help you get through this gloomy period of your life. If you read this article, it means that you have come just to the right place. Read on and find out our guaranteed ways to help you survive this condition:
 
 
* One way that is a real winner in these circumstances is provided by your will power and your desire to live. Many people who have been diagnosed with this condition have simply given up in front of it. But this type of surrender is the number one killer.
 
Therefore you need to arm yourself with plenty of optimism and positive thinking that will help you get through this. Read about those cases of patients defeating the disease and fuel your mind and soul with their optimism. In this way you will gain more power and once your batteries are fully charged you will be able to survive this cancerous condition. Tell yourself this: 'If others have survived, why shouldn't I?".
 
* The other way that guarantees you full survival is to take action. It is not enough to read others' stories if you do not get involved in finding out more. This positive and optimistic thinking can be supported only if you dig deeper into survivors' cases. Reach in finding out what they have done exactly to get through their prostate cancer condition. Learn about the life changes they have been through, what their eating habits are along with other relevant information that have kept them alive surviving this disease.
 
There are various online forums where you can join in and find out what all the people from around the world say about their ways of surviving prostate cancer. Once they have handled this disease, they will be more than willing to share with others their experience in surviving. Many of them will tell their experience of fighting the disease through the use of alternative medicine rather than the conventional one. It is always a great way of getting informed through these forums where real people tell about their real experiences and survivals over various forms of cancer, prostate cancer being included among them.
 

Things to Know on Prostate Cancer (Prostate Cancer Symptoms)

It is a fact of our nowadays society: many men reaching the age of 60 or 70 are at risk of presenting prostate cancer. Throughout this article we will tell you more about this condition and how this one manifests within your body.

 
Prostate is a gland that every man has as a part of their reproductive system. This gland helps in secreting prostatic fluid that plays an important role in the seminal fluid. When cancerous condition develops at this level, it means that cells within this gland are affected and slowly evolve into a tumor. It may happen very often for the symptoms not to manifest unless the condition has reached an advanced phase.
 
The symptoms are:
 
  • The need to urinate very frequently although there is not much of urine flow.
  • Difficulty with the process of urination.
  • Pain upon urinating.
  • Blood appeared within the urine flow or seminal fluid.
  • One can manifest pain in the groin, pelvis or lower back.

What you should know, when these symptoms start manifesting, is that they can be the ones to indicate other conditions which are not that harmful as prostate cancer, such as:

  • Prostatitis - which is an inflammation at prostate level.
  • Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia - prostate gland increases in size but is not of a cancerous condition.
It is recommended to consult a doctor as soon as one of these symptoms manifest and for this you should run two tests: blood test (PSA test) and Digital Rectum Exam - DRE.
 
This condition can be prevented if you know the possible causes that lead to its installation:
 
  • One cause is the diet which with Western countries it is more often fat saturated. Added to this, sodas and other junk types of foods are primary causes to the manifestation of this condition. Consider changing your diet into one rich in veggies and fruits.
  • Another cause is the imbalance presented between testosterone and estrogen. It is suggested to ask your doctor about the hormonal treatments to prevent prostate cancer from developing.
  • Current age - it means that senior people are more prone to develop this condition after they turn 60 or 70.
  • Family history - is another cause of presenting prostate cancer if there are cases of family members suffering from this condition.


     

    What Treatment Options Are There for Advanced Prostate Cancer

    All forms of cancer diseases are known to evolve on four main stages, each of these stages indicating the level where the cancerous condition has reached so far and the same stands valid for prostate cancer. This type of cancer start manifesting within the prostate gland at its periphery in the initial stage, but at this stage it can be hardly detected through a Digital Rectal Examination - DRE.

    But if the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test is run or an ultrasound examination, then more chances are there to detect this condition at its earlier stage. This primary stage is called in medical terms as T1 cancer or Stage I cancer.

    With T2 stage, the cancerous disease starts evolving into a larger growth on the prostate gland leading to abnormalities that are better detected at this phase. With both Stage I and Stage II, prostate cancer is only limited to the prostate gland and it can be treated with radiation therapy, surgery, ultrasound or cryosurgery.
     
    At T3 stage, the cancer will grow as such that it spreads into the tissues that surround the prostate gland, more likely into the pelvic area tissues. When prostate cancer has reached the level that it infects other area of the body beside pelvic region, then it has reached the Stage 4 or T4 form of cancer which is the most advanced.
     
    When the patient has reached the advanced prostate cancer condition, the treatment applied at this level is mainly aiming to slow down the spreading. At this point the focus is also laid on improving the life of the patient while doing all the best to extend his life time. So, we can say that at this stage we can hardly talk about a curing whereas the best term to use in here is 'managing' the condition.
     
    For prostate cancer cells to grow and evolve, they will need a high level of testosterone, and in order to manage the spreading of these cancerous cells one should consider lowering the level of testosterone. In this respect it is highly recommended a treatment with hormones that will reduce the testosterone production.
     

    Green Tea a Natural Remedy for Patients Suffering from Prostate Cancer

    When you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, it is not only you affected by this condition, but also the beloved ones around you. Many patients are supported by their families when any type of cancerous condition appears within the core of their family life. With so many cures that medical world has advanced lately thanks to their researches, everybody hope that some day a cure will be found also for this condition.
     
     
    Until then, patients and their families alike try to find ways to prevent this condition from advancing. This article is meant to bring into your attention some of the headlines appeared in various publications about the connection found between prostate cancer and green tea.
     
    While not all these articles are supported by actual scientific researches many people tend to cling to them with that desperate hope of a person who has nothing to lose. But we will further focus on the points that this topic has become the subject of debate in many publications.
     
    • First of all, those who are too deeply sunk into the conventional ways of treating cancerous conditions have never proclaimed green tea as a successful cure for this condition. But on the other hand, there wasn't any debate on the prevention that this herb can bring when it comes to its quality in preventing this condition from manifesting.
    • Secondly, no one can question the existence of antioxidants presented in all sorts of herbs, veggies and fruits. These antioxidants whoa re known to increase immune system and fighting the free radicals that are responsible with many diseases developing at the level of our body system. Green tea therefore has been found to be the richest plant in Catechins (the antioxidants presented with this plant). As a result, green tea will reduce the potential of different carcinogens of provoking that toxicity that generates prostate cancer condition and as such other cancerous conditions.
    • Another fact that can not be defeated, is that green tea will inhibit the formation of cancerous growths (tumors) precisely because of the presence of these antioxidants in such a large number.
    Other than all these, we see ourselves forced to let you judge all these while drinking green tea in the meanwhile. Only time can tell its effects, but one thing is for sure: it won't hurt to have a cup of this tea in every day of your existence.

    Can Prostate Cancer Be Seen in Prostatic Hypertrophy Manifestation?

    Many people have considered prostatic hypertrophy closely related to prostate cancer. This type of manifestation, also known as BHP - Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, is represented by an enlarged prostate and scientifically speaking there was no link to connect this enlarged prostate to the apparition of prostate cancer.
     
    But this is not a very reassuring fact because other reactions can evolve from here. The nodules become large enough to cause obstruction of the urethra (sometimes almost a complete obstruction) interfering with the normal flow of urine. This will further lead to painful act of urination and increased risks of presenting infections at the urinary tract level.
     
     
    One thing that has linked this condition to prostate cancer is that both of them might present the same symptoms. The danger here is that people will avoid doing the medical checking thinking they have an enlarged prostate when in fact this can be a form of cancer.
     
    But as the human nature is on many occasions when it comes to consult doctors, people run away from this responsibility that they owe it to themselves. More than this, the inconvenience of the medical check up in this case is not on everybody's liking. This consultation involves having a finger covered with a rubber glove placed into that orifice which is normally used for throwing out the feces.
     
    But regardless of this inconvenience, whenever the symptoms manifest indicating that there is something wrong with your prostate, you should have this organ consulted by a specialist doctor. These Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia symptoms that are similar with the ones developed by prostate cancer condition are:
     
    • Presenting problems upon urinating.
    • The need to urinate every few minutes.
    • The urine stream is weak.
    • There is also that incontinence presented as an uncontrollably urination; you can bet that this is not a very nice image with your pants getting wet from a tiny leakage.
    • There is as well an acute feeling of a sting when you urinate.
    • Apart from all these, as if to top them all, you will present a decreased tendency towards having sexual intercourse.
     
    Well, there are many other more symptoms added to these ones, but for the time being it is good to know only a few of them which can draw your attention that something is wrong with your prostate. You've better have it checked on time to make sure that this one doesn't degenerate into a prostate cancer.
     

     

    Cigarette smoking causes excess deaths in men with prostate cancer


    Smoking remains the largest preventable cause of cancer (see summary of Surgeon General's Report). While smoking causes cancer at many organ sites, including lung, larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, pancreas, bladder and kidney, cervix, stomach, and acute leukemia, the evidence review in 2004 by the Surgeon General indicated that the evidence was suggestive of a casual relation for colorectal cancer and for liver cancer. For prostate cancer the data as of 2004 indicated no causal relation of smoking to risk or onset of prostate cancer but suggested a higher mortality from prostate cancer in smokers. The new report in JAMA by Kenfield and colleagues adds important prospective data on mortality among men who have prostate cancer.

    Following some 5366 men diagnosed with prostate cancer, they report excess deaths among men who were current cigarette smokers at the time of diagnosis when these men are compared to never smokers. Excess deaths due to prostate cancer were observed, as were excess deaths from all causes and from cardiovascular disease. Current smokers had an excess mortality from prostate cancer compared to never smokers (relative risk of death 1.6, equivalent to 6 extra deaths per 1000 men per year).

    Importantly men who had quit smoking 10 or more years before diagnosis had lower mortality than current smokers and were similar to those who had never smoked.

    Men who are current smokers at the time of diagnosis of their prostate cancer have excess total mortality, death from cardiovascular disease, and death from prostate cancer. This study adds yet another good reason for men who smoke to quit, as prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men.

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