Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) / Enlarged prostate Archive

Following five healthy lifestyle habits has been shown to extend life expectancy. Better still, a recent study suggests the added years are more likely to be free of illness or disease.

Last year, we reported on two studies showing that African American men respond at least as well as white men to prostate cancer treatments given in clinical trials. Nationally, African Americans with prostate cancer are more than twice as likely to die of the disease as their white counterparts, and that has fueled speculation that […]

If you have a child and wish for more but are struggling with fertility issues, you may have many feelings and concerns. Here are some steps and strategies you may find helpful.

Is surgery the best choice to treat your prostate cancer? Here's what you need to know.

There are many ways to deal with a prostate cancer diagnosis. You might choose the wait-and-see approach of active surveillance for low-risk disease, in which you monitor your condition and only treat if the cancer becomes more aggressive. In terms of treatments, you can opt for radiation therapy, which attacks cancer cells, or androgen deprivation therapy, which tries to slow cancer growth by shutting down testosterone production.

The remaining option is radical prostatectomy: surgery to remove the entire prostate gland. While this is the most invasive approach, it's the right choice for some men.

On call

Q. I've noticed blood streaks in my semen twice over the past 10 days. Is this a sign of something serious?

A. When a man sees blood in his ejaculate, his initial thought is cancer. But the reality is that bloody semen rarely is a sign of cancer.

Undergoing treatment and managing the condition can lower libido and lead to erectile dysfunction.

Considerable emotional and mental processing comes with a prostate cancer diagnosis. "Prostate cancer strikes a personal part of a man's body, and for most, it is a glaring sign of aging and a reminder they are not as young as before," says Dr. Mark Pomerantz, an oncologist with Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Then there is the stressful decision about treatment. Yet many men don't realize how much their choice may influence their sex life.

In the journals

A study published online Sept. 4, 2019, by the International Journal of Cancer showed a possible connection between regular mushroom consumption and a lower risk of prostate cancer.

The researchers recruited more than 36,000 men ages 40 to 79. They recorded various health information, such as physical activity, family and medical history, and diet. Information on diet included 39 foods and beverages. The men were then followed for a period ranging from 13 to almost 25 years.

Prostate cancer screening with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test has been criticized for flagging too many slow-growing tumors that might never be life-threatening. But some men have inherited gene defects that boost their risk of developing prostate cancers that can be quite aggressive. Is PSA screening particularly well-suited for these genetically defined groups? New research […]