National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

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A light blue ribbon is the symbol for prostate cancer Blue ribbon.jpg
A light blue ribbon is the symbol for prostate cancer

National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is observed every September in the United States by health experts, health advocates, and individuals concerned with men’s prostate cancer. Designating a month for the issue serves the purpose of:

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

A health professional may operate within all branches of health care, including medicine, surgery, dentistry, midwifery, pharmacy, psychology, nursing or allied health professions. A health professional may also be a public/community health expert working for the common good of the society.

Health advocacy encompasses direct service to the individual or family as well as activities that promote health and access to health care in communities and the larger public. Advocates support and promote the rights of the patient in the health care arena, help build capacity to improve community health and enhance health policy initiatives focused on available, safe and quality care. Health advocates are best suited to address the challenge of patient-centered care in our complex healthcare system. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) defines patient-centered care as: Health care that establishes a partnership among practitioners, patients, and their families to ensure that decisions respect patients’ wants, needs, and preferences and that patients have the education and support they need to make decisions and participate in their own care. Patient-centered care is also one of the overreaching goals of health advocacy, in addition to safer medical systems, and greater patient involvement in healthcare delivery and design.

Contents

Prostate cancer screening is the screening process used to detect undiagnosed prostate cancer in those without signs or symptoms. When abnormal prostate tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat and cure, but it is unclear if early detection reduces mortality rates.

In epidemiology, a risk factor is a variable associated with an increased risk of disease or infection. When evidence is found the term determinant is used as a variable associated with either increased or decreased risk.

Symptom departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, reflecting the presence of an unusual state, or of a disease; subjective, observed by the patient, cannot be measured directly

A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is apparent to a patient, reflecting the presence of an unusual state, or of a disease. A symptom can be subjective or objective. Tiredness is a subjective symptom whereas cough or fever are objective symptoms. In contrast to a symptom, a sign is a clue to a disease elicited by an examiner or a doctor. For example, paresthesia is a symptom, whereas erythema is a sign. Symptoms and signs are often nonspecific, but often combinations of them are at least suggestive of certain diagnoses, helping to narrow down what may be wrong. In other cases they are specific even to the point of being pathognomonic.

Origins

September 2015 was designated National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month by the Obama Administration. [1]

Presidency of Barack Obama presidential term

The presidency of Barack Obama began at noon EST on January 20, 2009, when Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat, took office following a decisive victory over Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. Four years later, in the 2012 election, he defeated Republican Mitt Romney to win re-election. He was the first African American president, the first multiracial president, the first non-white president, and the first president to have been born in Hawaii. Obama was succeeded by Republican Donald Trump, who won the 2016 presidential election.

See also


International Men's Day (IMD) is an annual international event celebrated on 19 November. Inaugurated in 1992 on 7 February by Thomas Oaster, the project of International Men's Day was conceived one year earlier on 8 February 1991. The project was re-initialised in 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago. The longest running celebration of International Men's Day is Malta, where events have occurred since 7 February 1994.

International Men's Health Week is an international week celebrated in several countries the week preceding and including Father's Day to focus on issues facing men's health. International Men's Health Week began at an international level in 2002 when representatives from six men's health organizations around the world met in a meeting organized by Men's Health Network at the 2nd World Congress on Men's Health in Vienna, Austria and resolved to work together to launch International Men's Health Week (IMHW). This meeting followed preliminary discussions in 2001, at the first World Congress on Men's Health, about the need to coordinate awareness periods around the globe.

Movember annual event involving the growing of moustaches during month of November to raise awareness of mens health issues

Movember, commonly known as No Shave November, is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide. The Movember Foundation runs the Movember charity event, housed at Movember.com. The goal of Movember is to "change the face of men's health."

Related Research Articles

Prostatitis Human disease

Prostatitis is inflammation of the prostate gland. Prostatitis is classified into acute, chronic, asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis, and chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia noncancerous increase in size of the prostate

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also called prostate enlargement, is a noncancerous increase in size of the prostate gland. Symptoms may include frequent urination, trouble starting to urinate, weak stream, inability to urinate, or loss of bladder control. Complications can include urinary tract infections, bladder stones, and chronic kidney problems.

Prostate-specific antigen protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), also known as gamma-seminoprotein or kallikrein-3 (KLK3), is a glycoprotein enzyme encoded in humans by the KLK3 gene. PSA is a member of the kallikrein-related peptidase family and is secreted by the epithelial cells of the prostate gland. PSA is produced for the ejaculate, where it liquefies semen in the seminal coagulum and allows sperm to swim freely. It is also believed to be instrumental in dissolving cervical mucus, allowing the entry of sperm into the uterus.

Andrology is the medical specialty that deals with male health, particularly relating to the problems of the male reproductive system and urological problems that are unique to men. It is the counterpart to gynaecology, which deals with medical issues which are specific to female health, especially reproductive and urologic health.

Urinary retention inability to completely empty the bladder

Urinary retention is an inability to completely empty the bladder. Onset can be sudden or gradual. When of sudden onset, symptoms include an inability to urinate and lower abdominal pain. When of gradual onset, symptoms may include loss of bladder control, mild lower abdominal pain, and a weak urine stream. Those with long term problems are at risk of urinary tract infections.

Transrectal ultrasonography

Transrectal ultrasonography, or TRUS in short, is a method of creating an image of organs in the pelvis. The most common indication for transrectal ultrasonography is necessity of evaluation of the prostate gland in men with elevated prostate specific antigen or prostatic nodules on digital rectal exam. TRUS may reveal prostate cancer, benign prostatic hypertrophy, or prostatitis. It may also be used to help guide a biopsy of the prostate.

Transurethral needle ablation is a technique that uses low energy radio frequency delivered through two needles to ablate excess prostate tissue. A cystoscope/catheter deploys the needles toward the obstructing prostate tissue is inserted into the urethra directly through the penis under local anesthetic before the procedure begins. The energy from the probe heats the abnormal prostate tissue without damaging the urethra. The resulting scar tissue later atrophies, reducing the size of the prostate which in turn reduces the constriction of the urethra. It can be done with a local anesthetic on an outpatient basis. It takes about an hour to perform the procedure. It takes about 30 days for the ablated prostate tissue to resorb. Patients should have an annual rectal prostate exam for their doctor to feel the prostate health with a lubricated gloved finger.

Hematospermia

Hematospermia is the presence of blood in ejaculation. It is most often a benign symptom. Among men age 40 or older, hematospermia is a slight predictor of cancer, typically prostate cancer. No specific cause is found in up to 70% of cases.

Prostatic stent

A prostatic stent is a stent used to keep open the male urethra and allow the passing of urine in cases of prostatic obstruction and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Prostatic obstruction is a common condition with a variety of causes. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common cause, but obstruction may also occur acutely after treatment for BPH such as transurethral needle ablation of the prostate (TUNA), transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT), prostate cancer or after radiation therapy.

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) refer to a group of clinical symptoms involving the bladder, urinary sphincter, urethra, and, in men, the prostate. Although LUTS is a preferred term for prostatism, and it is more common for the term to be applied to men; lower urinary tract symptoms also affect women. LUTS affect approximately 40% of older men.

Chronic bacterial prostatitis

Chronic bacterial prostatitis is a bacterial infection of the prostate gland. It should be distinguished from other forms of prostatitis such as acute bacterial prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS).

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome

Chronic nonbacterial prostatitis, also known as chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), is long term pelvic pain and symptoms with urination without evidence of a bacterial infection. It affects about 2 to 6% of men.

Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis

Asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis is a painless inflammation of the prostate gland where there is no evidence of infection. It should be distinguished from the other categories of prostatitis characterised by either pelvic pain or evidence of infection, such as chronic bacterial prostatitis, acute bacterial prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS). It is a common finding in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

ZERO—The End of Prostate Cancer organization

ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to prostate cancer education, testing, patient support, research and advocacy.

Dr. Peter T. Scardino is an American cancer surgeon, researcher, and author expert in genitourinary and urological cancers particularly cancer of the prostate. He is chair of the Department of Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Oxendolone chemical compound

Oxendolone, sold under the brand names Prostetin and Roxenone, is an antiandrogen and progestin medication which is used in Japan in the treatment of enlarged prostate. However, this use is controversial due to concerns about its clinical efficacy. Oxendolone is not effective by mouth and must be given by injection into muscle.

References

  1. ↑ "Presidential Proclamation -- National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2015". Whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 17 October 2015.

Sources

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