Lesson 2: Prostate Cancer
Lesson 2 of "Coping with Prostate Cancer" will look at the cancer itself. Included will be a look at the definition of cancer, and how cancer develops within the prostate, as well as a technical (but I hope an understandable) look at how Prostate Cancer is measured. In the last section, we’ll look at how you can cope with the diagnosis of Prostate Cancer, and how you can help others cope, as well.
While nobody fully understands cancer, at the end of this lesson you can expect to gain a greater understanding of what cancer is, how it develops, and how it grows. You'll also better understand how Prostate Cancer is measured in terms of growth (staging and the Gleason Score). In this lesson we will also begin looking at ways of coping with your (or a loved one’s) Prostate Cancer.
Introduction
My visit with Dr. Zack and getting the news that I had cancer was a deafening experience. Try as I did to concentrate on what was being said I only heard a few of his words. It turned out that, in my case, the type of cancer I had did not grow large enough for my doctor to detect by rectal exam. About 20% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer have my type of cancer where their doctor can’t feel the tumor during a digital rectal examination. Without a PSA test this cancer is very hard to detect. Fortunately, once the biopsy is done and cancer has been diagnosed, there are other diagnostic procedures that can be used to further classify the cancer. In this lesson we’ll look at the etiology, or causes, of Prostate Cancer, the staging process (where the extent of the cancer is determined), and the Gleason Score, which is another measurement of the cancer’s growth and growth potential.
Coping with any cancer is a monumental task, and sometimes feels impossible. Prostate Cancer (or the Prostate Cancer of someone close to you) is no different. Ultimately, coping is a skill that you will have to develop in your own way. There is no magic phase that will be able to put all your fears and questions to rest. However, the tips on coping contained in this lesson, and in subsequent lessons, are here to assist you in developing your own personal ways of coping, as well as a reminder that you are not alone in your confrontation with Prostate Cancer.
