What Is Prostate

What is the Prostate?

The word "prostate" comes from Medieval Latin prostate and Medieval French prostate. The ancient Greek word prostates means "one standing in front", from proistanai meaning "set before". The prostate is so called because of its position - it is at the base of the bladder.

The prostate is an exocrine gland of the male reproductive system, and exists directly under the bladder, in front of the rectum. An exocrine gland is one whose secretions end up outside the body e.g. prostate gland and sweat glands. It is approximately the size of a walnut.

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The urethra - a tube that goes from the bladder to the end of the penis and carries urine and semen out of the body - goes through the prostate.

There are thousands of tiny glands in the prostate - they all produce a fluid that forms part of the semen. This fluid also protects and nourishes the sperm. When a male has an orgasm the seminal-vesicles secrete a milky liquid in which the semen travels. The liquid is produced in the prostate gland, while the sperm is kept and produced in the testicles. When a male climaxes (has an orgasm) contractions force the prostate to secrete this fluid into the urethra and leave the body through the penis.

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a disease which only affects men. Cancer begins to grow in the prostate - a gland in the male reproductive system.  In the vast majority of cases, the prostate cancer starts in the gland cells - this is called adenocarcinoma. In this article, prostate cancer refers just to adenocarcinoma.

Prostate cancer is mostly a very slow progressing disease. In fact, many men die of old age, without ever knowing they had prostate cancer - it is only when an autopsy is done that doctors know it was there. Several studies have indicated that perhaps about 80% of all men in their eighties had prostate cancer when they died, but nobody knew, not even the doctor.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

During the early stages of prostate cancer there are usually no symptoms. Most men at this stage find out they have prostate cancer after a routine check up or blood test. When symptoms do exist, they are usually one or more of the following:

•     The patient urinates more often

•     The patient gets up at night more often to urinate

•     He may find it hard to start urinating

•     He may find it hard to keep urinating once he has started

•     There may be blood in the urine

•     Urination might be painful

•     Ejaculation may be painful

•     Achieving or maintaining an erection may be difficult

If the prostate cancer is advanced the following symptoms are also possible:

    Bone pain, often in the spine (vertebrae), pelvis, or ribs
    The proximal part of the femur can be painful
    Leg weakness (if cancer has spread to the spine and compressed the spinal cord)
    Urinary incontinence (if cancer has spread to the spine and compressed the spinal cord)
    Fecal incontinence (if cancer has spread to the spine and compressed the spinal cord)

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