Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men worldwide. At the same time, the tumor develops slowly and asymptomatically, which reduces the chances of early diagnosis. Cancer cells are found in the prostate gland in a third of all men after the age of 50.
High-precision diagnostic techniques and safe, innovative prostate cancer treatments with a high recovery rate have made Israel a center of medical tourism for men from almost all over the world. This is also explained by positive statistics – over the past decade, the effectiveness of prostate cancer treatment in Israeli clinics has increased from 67 to 90%.
Risk factors
- Heredity. The risk of developing prostate cancer is significantly increased if a male ancestor was diagnosed with this type of cancer.
- Age. Statistically, prostate cancer affects men over 40-60 years old, but this is not a reason for young guys under 40 not to worry.
- The racial factor. Men of African race are more likely to suffer from this cancer. However, prostate cancer is also very common among Europeans and Asians.
Symptoms of prostate cancer
Men over 50-60 years old should undergo annual prostate examination for the development of a malignant tumor. At the same time, prostate cancer can also affect young guys. If one notices at least one of the characteristic symptoms, they should immediately contact a urologist or oncologist.
Difficulty, frequent and painful urination. Not all three problems will necessarily appear simultaneously, sometimes there is only pain or an exceptionally weak stream of urine.
- Uncontrolled urination and defecation.
- Erectile dysfunction while maintaining a high level of libido. Not to be confused with weakening of erection caused by stress. One should worry when there are no factors that reduce sexual desire.
- Blood in the urine and / or semen (hematuria).
- Causeless pain in the scrotum and perineum, in the ribs and spine, in the bones of the pelvis and thighs.
- Feeling of numbness in the legs and weakness in the muscles of the lower extremities.
Additionally, there may be a causeless sharp weight loss – one of the signs of the development of a malignant tumor in the body.
Diagnostics
Prostate cancer is diagnosed by rectal finger examination. This is the simplest and most effective method of diagnosis, which oncologists in Israel recommend that men at risk undergo annually. Israeli oncologists and urologists conduct a number of high-precision studies to accurately diagnose, position, and measure prostate tumors:
- Ultrasound, MRI, CT and PET (positron emission tomography);
- prostate biopsy and cystoscopy;
- radioisotope examination.
High-precision analysis for the presence of specific prostatic membrane antigen is another development of Israeli oncologists.
Prostate Cancer Treatment
Clinics in Israel actively use all effective and safe methods of treating prostate cancer:
- gentle chemotherapy with a new generation of drugs .
- hormone therapy that reduces testosterone levels and blocks tumor development.
- minimally invasive operations to remove neoplasms through the urethra.
- surgical operation with the use of a high-precision robot surgeon Da Vinci .
- high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), which remotely kills a tumor in three seconds, literally burning it at temperatures up to 100°C.
- radiation therapy, including ‘cyber knife’ and internal brachytherapy, when the tumor is injected with radioactive particles.
The effectiveness of prostate cancer treatment by the listed methods in Israeli clinics is more than 80%, and at the early stages almost all men fully recover. In addition, all conditions for comprehensive recovery after treatment of oncological are present in Israel.