Prostate Cancer in Younger Men - Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Introduction

Prostate cancer most likely occurs in men over sixty-five years of age, but earliest onset prostate cancer is on the rise worldwide. Prostate cancer in younger women under the age of five is approximately 10 percent. Urological health experts are working feverishly to get to the bottom of the cause of younger incidence. Genetics might be one of the causes that have the most decisive influence on early-onset prostate cancer risk throughout a man’s lifetime. Others believe the cause could be due to lifestyle and environmental factors significantly influencing prostate cancer development. When younger men have prostate cancer, they have a lower survival rate than middle-aged and older individuals.

What Causes Early Onset Cancer?

The reason for the cause of prostate in younger men is not apparent. Between the genes and early prostate cancer, there seems to be a link, and more investigations need to be done by researchers if obesity, human papillomavirus infection, physical activity, and exposure to things like cancer-causing agents in the environment play a role. When prostate cancer is diagnosed at a younger age, it is predicted to be in a more advanced stage, and there is a lower rate of survival than middle-aged men and older men.

What Are the Ways of Treating Prostate Cancer in Younger Men?

For early-onset prostate cancer, there are several treatment options, and treatment is based on age, symptoms, stage, and overall health. With older men, to avoid the side effects as it affects the quality of life, doctors might wait to see if it worsens. This is known as active surveillance. The doctor monitors cancer with the help of tests such as PSA tests and biopsies, and the doctor chooses to treat it if it grows. But this is extremely rare, and in younger men, doctors will recommend starting treatment right away, and watchful surveillance isn’t common for younger men, even in individuals with stage I prostate cancer. The various treatment options are:

• Radical prostatectomy.

• Radiation therapy.

• Hormone therapy.

• Chemotherapy.

• Immunotherapy.

• Targeted drug therapy.

What Are the Indications of Radical Prostatectomy, Radiation Therapy, and Hormone Therapy?

• Radical prostatectomy is done when the cancer hasn’t spread beyond the prostate. That is, it is localized, and then radical prostatectomy is done to remove it before it spreads. In this procedure, the prostate is removed along with the prostate gland and surrounding tissues, and sometimes pelvic lymph nodes are removed by the doctor. The surgery can be open, laparoscopic, or robot-assisted.

• Radiotherapy therapy destroys cancer cells with the help of X-rays. The radiation targets the cancer in the prostate or other areas. There are two types of radiation: external beam radiation and brachytherapy.

• Hormone therapy is used to stop the body from making testosterone as prostate cancer cells grow with testosterone. Hormone therapy involves medications that will stop the body from making testosterone or other medications that will help to control testosterone. This therapy is often used for the treatment of stage IV prostate cancer. Sometimes, doctors may combine hormone therapy with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery, which is less common.

When Is Chemotherapy Recommended?

Chemotherapy is recommended when the prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body or sometimes if the hormone therapy does not work. The cancer cells are slowed down with chemotherapy. Anti-cancer cells that will travel through the blood to reach the cancer cells are used in this procedure. The drugs are administered through the vein in the injection form or by mouth as tablets. The chemo might be in cycles with a period of treatment and then a period of rest, and often, the cycle is two to three weeks. This procedure will help to live longer as it slows cancer growth and may also help with the symptoms.

When Is Immunotherapy Indicated?

When the prostate cancer is advanced without any symptoms and is not responding to hormone therapy, immunotherapy is recommended by the doctor. This therapy will teach the immune system to recognize and destroy the cancer cells. The cancer vaccine called sipuleucel-T might be prescribed, which will boost the immune system to specifically target and prevent prostate cancer from growing. It also helps to live longer.

When Is Targeted Drug Therapy Indicated?

The doctor will use the drugs in targeted drug therapy to attack weakness in cancer cells. These drugs do not damage the normal cells, but they interrupt the cancer cells from growing, dividing, repairing themselves, or interacting with other cells. The pills are taken twice a day orally with targeted drug therapy.

Sometimes, doctors might also recommend a combination of treatments such as external beam radiation, brachytherapy, or radical prostatectomy.

What Are the Side-Effects of Prostate Cancer Treatment?

The side effects of prostate cancer treatment can be concerning for younger men, such as problems getting and keeping an erection, leaking urine, low sperm production, and changes in penis size. Infertility is common and occurs after the surgery because the surgeon will remove the prostate and seminal vesicles, which carry sperm from the urethra and out the penis during ejaculation. There are changes in sperm due to radiation, which makes it harder for the semen to transport sperm.

What Are the Early Symptoms of Prostate Cancer in Younger Men?

The early symptoms that are present as early prostate cancer indicators are:

• Changes in urinary frequency are seen when the individuals urinate more than seven times daily. If the urination frequency increases and the onset is sudden, there might be a problem.

• Individuals might experience a burning or painful sensation while urinating.

• In younger men, there is urinary incontinence, which is not normal.

• Younger men will have difficulty in controlling urine flow. If the individual goes to the bathroom and cannot start or stop the urine flow once it begins, there might be a problem.

• There might be blood in the urine, which warrants immediate medical attention.

The above symptoms can also indicate a variety of urological health problems that aren’t prostate cancer, and to confirm the diagnosis, there is a need to visit the urologist for further evaluation.

Conclusion

Sarcoma is one of the sporadic forms of prostate cancer that is found in younger men, and sarcoma can infiltrate the soft tissues in the body. These tissues include the nerves and muscles. Sarcoma can develop about anywhere as the tissue is everywhere in the body.