Nuclear Oncology

Posts Tagged ‘Prostate’

Cancer is cancer that starts in the prostate gland. The prostate is a small structure the size of a walnut that is part of the male reproductive tract and surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine outside the body.

Causes:

Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in men of all ages and is the most common cause of cancer deaths in men over 75 years of age. This cancer is rarely found in men younger than 40 years of age.

People at risk include:

Black men, who are also likely to have cancer at all ages
Men over 60 years
Men who have a father or brother with prostate cancer
Others at risk include:

Men exposed to Agent Orange
Men who abuse alcohol
Farmers
Men who consume a diet high in fat, especially animal fat
Tire plant workers
Painters
Men who have been exposed to cadmium
The lowest number of cases occurs in Japanese men living in Japan (this benefit is lost after a generation of living in the United States) and those who do not eat meat (vegetarians).

A common problem in almost all men as they age is the enlargement of the prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH). This problem does not increase your risk of prostate cancer.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions.

MRI uses a powerful magnetic field, radio frequency pulses and a computer to create detailed images of organs, soft tissues, bone and virtually all other internal body structures. Thus, images can be viewed in the monitor of a computer, transmitted electronically, printed or copied to a CD. MRI does not use ionizing radiation (X rays).

The detailed images obtained with MRI allow physicians to better evaluate parts of the body and determine the presence of certain diseases that could not be assessed adequately with other imaging methods such as X-rays, ultrasound or computed tomography (also called CT or CAT scanning).

The prostate is a gland the size of a walnut that is part of the male reproductive system. In front of the rectum and below the bladder, where urine is stored, and surrounds the urethra, the tube through which urine leaves the body and other fluids. The prostate helps make the milky fluid called semen that carries sperm outside the body when a man ejaculates. Ultrasound and MRI are the techniques used to visualize the prostate. Read the rest of this entry »