{"id":2961,"date":"2019-12-04T03:32:39","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T03:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/?p=2961"},"modified":"2019-12-04T03:35:07","modified_gmt":"2019-12-04T03:35:07","slug":"prostate-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/prostate-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Prostate Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is prostate cancer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prostate is a gland\nfound in male bodies that surrounds the urethra and is crucial in the\ndevelopment of semen. Prostate cancer is a disease predominantly affecting\nmiddle-aged and older men, where cells in the prostate gland multiply rapidly\nand form a tumor. The disease affects about 1 in 7 men [2]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Image<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Prostate cancer can develop\nat an early stage without pain, but can become fatal in later stages. Hence,\nearly detection is essential for men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Genetics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from environmental factors, the form and function of our entire body is encoded in our DNA. This is a molecule contained in all of our cells, and the code, split into genes, is formed by sequences of 4 letters: A, C, T, and G. Although there are billions of these letters throughout our DNA, even a small change\u2014or mutation\u2014can drastically damage the human body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Research has shown that\nsome of these miniscule mutations, particularly in any of 5 specific genes, are\nstrongly linked to prostate cancer development. There is also another gene,\ncalled BRCA1, that helps code for proteins that suppress tumor growth. This\ngene corrects mistakes that are made when duplicating our DNA, so that (in\ntheory) our genes stay the same over time. Put more simply, BRCA1 works to\nprevent mutations\u2014which may cause tumor growth\u2014from occurring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why get tested?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this information\nalone, any man would consider getting a genetic test for prostate cancer, and\nfor good reason. Even having 2 of the 5 aforementioned mutations could double\nyour odds of developing the disease [1]! And inherited mutations (those which\nare often passed down from family members) in BRCA1 and similar genes monumentally\nincreases cancer risk [2]. Knowing your odds is key to detecting prostate\ncancer early (when it is low-risk), treating it before the tumor grows out of\ncontrol, and ultimately beating the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for a\ngenetic test, try out the SNP-chip, which can detect such single-letter\nmutations across different genes for around $300. But you may want to consider\nthe alternatives first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatives<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many ethical issues\nof genetic tests. Depending on how much of your DNA you want sequenced, the\nresults can tell you about untreatable and uncurable diseases. Also, many companies\nwill sell data and infringe on your privacy, so it is crucial to use a\nreputable service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the genetic\ntest may not even be accurate. In fact, most cases of the cancer are somatic\nmutations, types that occur throughout a person\u2019s lifetime and are hence not\ninherited. In this case, a genetic test can give a false sense of security.\nEven family history may only account for around 50% of cases of the disease [2].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an alternative, there are more precise tests and screenings that can detect prostate cancer at an early stage. The two most common are rectal exams and PSA tests (a specific blood test), which have proven to be accurate and recommended by doctors [3].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Personal Considerations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family history alone can\nhave the same effect in increasing your odds as a single one of the above\nmutations. In these cases, it may be advantageous to get a genetic test at a\nyoung age, before the disease even starts to develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there is little danger\nin waiting until your late 30s or early 40s, when prostate cancer could be at an\nearly stage of development to get tested. In this case, more-accurate rectal\nexams and PSA screenings are recommended, especially for those with family\nhistory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It should be noted that\nthere are potential side-effects to treating (or overtreating) prostate cancer,\nsuch as erectile dysfunction and infections [4]. In some cases, the disease can\nbe nonfatal and unharmful. However, since prostate cancer can likely become\nfatal if not treated early, the choice of whether to take action against it is\nclear. It is never too early to talk to your doctor about your<\/em> risks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] Zheng SL, Gelmann EP, Kearon C,\nKapur J, Center for Human Genomics. Cumulative Association of Five Genetic\nVariants with Prostate Cancer: NEJM.\nhttps:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMoa075819. Published February 28,\n2008. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Prostate cancer – Genetics Home\nReference – NIH. U.S. National Library of Medicine.\nhttps:\/\/ghr.nlm.nih.gov\/condition\/prostate-cancer. Accessed December 3, 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3] Prostate cancer prevention and\nearly detection. Prostate cancer prevention and early detection | Seattle\nCancer Care Alliance.\nhttps:\/\/www.seattlecca.org\/diseases\/prostate-cancer\/early-detection-prevention.\nAccessed December 3, 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4] What Are The Side Effects Of Prostate Cancer Treatment? Prostate Cancer Foundation. https:\/\/www.pcf.org\/about-prostate-cancer\/prostate-cancer-side-effects\/. Accessed December 3, 2019. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is prostate cancer? The prostate is a gland found in male bodies that surrounds the urethra and is crucial in the development of semen. Prostate cancer is a disease predominantly affecting middle-aged and older men, where cells in the prostate gland multiply rapidly and form a tumor. The disease affects about 1 in 7 … Continue reading Prostate Cancer<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3178,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[110,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-genetic-testing","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3178"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2961\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ctlsites.uga.edu\/biol2013h-2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}