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All cancers are equal-opportunity killers that can spread to neighbouring limbs and organs by means of proliferation. Fortunately, a better understanding of the disease has prompted the development of new therapies, but some types remain deadly by nature. Prostate cancer is a prime example of a disease that has remained serious and fatal over the years. When the disease damages the nerves, it may cause pain, swelling and numbness in the lower extremities.
The prostate is a gland no bigger than a golf ball, that sits between the bladder and penis and secretes fluid that protects sperm.
“Most older men have some cancer cells in their prostate glands. But because these cells usually grow slowly, they don’t cause symptoms or affect health in most men,” explains Harvard Health.
According to the health platform Medscape, the metastatic symptoms of prostate cancer include weight loss and loss of appetite, bone pain (with or without pathologic fracture), lower extremity pain and oedema, uremic symptoms.
Pain in the lower extremities often originates from sciatica – pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve.
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This usually stems from damage to one or more of the nerves that start in the spine and run down through the legs.
The symptoms of sciatica typically encompass pain, numbness, weakness, pins and needles, or tingling in the lower back, buttocks, legs or feet.
Oedema in the lower extremities, however, may also offer visual clues that cancer cells are preventing lymph fluids from draining away.
“This might lead to swelling in the legs to build up in that area,” explains Cancer Research UK.
The health body notes, however, that swelling is most often concentrated around the area where cancer has spread.
Some of the more classic symptoms include passing urine more often during the day or night, and difficulty passing urine, but these vary depending on the stage of the disease.
Medscape explains: “Prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous cancer in men, making the diagnosis and staging of this cancer of great medical and public interest.
“Although prostate cancer can be slow-growing, the disease nonetheless accounts for more than 10 percent of cancer-related deaths in males, with tens of thousands of men dying of prostate cancer each year.”
Common testing procedures involve having a physician feel the prostate through the rectum, coupled with a blood test.
While prostate cancer is a notorious killer among men, the majority of patients die with the disease rather than because of it.
Aggressive forms of prostate cancer claim an estimated 12,000 lives in the UK each year, according to data.
Interestingly, WebMD lists low tomato sauce consumption as another risk factor for the disease, alongside smoking, and high calcium intake.
As with all types of cancer, there is no sure-fire way of stopping the disease.
However, increasing intake of fruits and vegetables, reducing intake of fat and charred meats, and adding green tea and soy can all help confer protection, according to Hopkins Medicine.
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