Prostate Cancer Specialist

Your prostate is a small, walnut-shaped gland situated between your penis and bladder. It produces the fluid that protects sperm. The prostate also helps you ejaculate by contracting to push fluid through your urethra.

Prostate cancer occurs when abnormal cells multiply rapidly in the gland. Every year, around 174,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in the United States. The disease contributes to about 31,000 deaths annually.

In many cases, prostate cancer doesn’t cause any noticeable symptoms. A tumor on your prostate doesn’t push against anything that could cause pain or make you feel like you should see a doctor.

However, your prostate surrounds your urethra, and as your tumor grows, you will notice symptoms like:

• Increased frequency of urination
• Trouble starting or holding in urine
• Weak urine flow
• Erectile dysfunction
• Decreased amount of ejaculate
• Blood in your urine
• Pain in your lower back, hips, and pelvis

These symptoms don’t necessarily indicate prostate cancer. Other conditions that cause inflammation in the prostate, like benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or prostatitis, can cause similar symptoms.

Having routine prostate cancer screenings is critical to detecting the disease in its early stages. For men at average risk, discussions about prostate cancer screening typically begin around age 50. Men at higher risk, including Black men and those with a father or brother diagnosed with prostate cancer, may benefit from beginning screening discussions between ages 40 and 45. Your provider can recommend a screening schedule based on your individual risk factors.

If you have a personal or family history of prostate cancer, you should begin your screenings earlier. Your doctor provides customized recommendations on when you should start to have the tests.

If your screening is positive, meaning that you might have prostate cancer, your doctor orders additional testing like transrectal ultrasounds and biopsies to diagnose the cause of the abnormal results.

For early-stage, slow-growing prostate cancer, active surveillance, closely monitoring the cancer with regular PSA tests and exams rather than treating it immediately, may be an appropriate option. Your oncologist will discuss whether active surveillance or active treatment is right for you.

Your oncologist could recommend androgen-deprivation therapy, radiation, chemotherapy, or surgical removal of your prostate and lymph nodes.

If you’re concerned about prostate cancer, call Wellness Oncology & Hematology.

Call the West Hills office at 818-346-1773 or the Tarzana office at 818-705-3900 to schedule your consultation.