Prostate Cancer – Risk Factors, Symptoms & Treatment Options

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer found in men. Usually, prostate cancer grows slowly and is initially confined to the prostate gland. However, while some types of prostate cancer grow slowly and may need minimal treatment, other types are dangerous and can spread rapidly. At Fortis International Care, you’ll receive the most intensive care by the best urology doctors in India.

Risk Factors:

The exact cause of prostate cancer is still unclear, but there are many possible risk factors:

Ø  Age: It’s more common among men above the age of 50 years and rare under the age of 45 years.

Ø  Genetic Factors: It’s hereditary by nature which means if a man whose brother or father had prostate cancer has twice the risk of developing it compared to any other men.

Symptoms:

There are usually no symptoms detected at an early stage, however, if symptoms do appear, they involve one or more of the following:

Ø  Frequent urges to urinate

Ø  Signs of blood in the urine

Ø  Painful urination

Advanced prostate cancer may involve:

Ø  Pain in bones and often in the spine, femur, pelvis or ribs

Ø  Bone fractures

Treatment:

Treatment varies for early stage and advanced prostate cancers.

In the early stage, the cancer is small and localized and is usually diagnosed by thorough monitoring. Patients may also receive radiation therapy for 4 to 6 months. Treatments differ, so it’s advised to discuss with your urologist prior.

Now, talking about advanced cancer, it spreads aggressively and deserves quick attention. Chemotherapy may be recommended, as it kills cancer cells around the body. Get yourself diagnosed by the finest set of urologists in India.

Here, at Fortis Hospital, the uro-oncologists will review your treatment options thoroughly and choose the cutting-edge diagnostic options that will suit your needs. 

Cardiology: Things you need to know!

The dreaded cardiac arrest is something most people are all too familiar with. Someone or the other has either battled it out or survived or succumbed to it. The Department of Cardiology at Fortis International Care offers the best cardiology treatment in India.

Cardiology is the study and treatment of disorders of the heart and the blood vessels. A heart attack happens when the blood flow to a part of the heart stops. Thereby, causing damage to the heart muscle, resulting in death. Common symptoms include chest pain or discomfort that radiates to the arm, shoulder, neck or back. High blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes can increase the risk of cardiac arrest. The risk starts to increase with age. Listed below are some information regarding cardiology:

Ø  Angioplasty is considered to be an emergency procedure and is an immediate life-saving measure. A patient who’s gotten a heart attack needs to undergo a primary angioplasty in order to avert the permanent damage to the heart muscle. In this procedure, time is the essence. Also, it’s a far more complex treatment given what kind of a condition the patient is in. A hospital’s ability to respond effectively in this situation is very important, the reason why Fortis Hospital is known to be one of the best cardiac hospitals in India.

Ø  A balloon valvotomy is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat mitral valve stenosis. It widens the heart valve and allows the blood to flow freely. During this procedure, the cardiologist and the specialized team of nurses perform this surgery with a lot of precision.

Ø  Pacemakers are devices that help your heart beat for you. It provides electrical stimuli which cause cardiac contraction when the body’s normal electrical impulses are low.

Ø  Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) Heart Device is used for treating severe heart failure and abnormal condition which could be caused by a number of factors such as age, heart damage, medication, genetics and so on. A CRT device sends small, undetectable electrical impulses to both lower chambers of the heart to help them beat together in a more synchronized way. Thus, improving the heart’s ability to pump blood and oxygen to the body.

At Fortis International Care, the experienced team uses the latest technology, allowing greater freedom and higher levels of safety to patients than ever before. Here, you can find the set of best cardiologists in India offering interventional care to each and every patient.  

Insights into Blood Cancer

Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases in the world and blood cancer is a common term used for cancers arising from blood (leukemia), lymphatic system (lymphoma) and bone marrow (myeloma). In this case, you can see an uncontrolled growth of a particular component of blood which causes adverse effects on the body. It is also known as hematologic cancer.

Fortis Hospital provides quality blood cancer treatment in India with experienced oncologists who are capable of handling any kind of complications. Let’s understand the basics of blood cancer:

Ø  Leukemia affects white blood cells

Healthy white blood cells help your body fight infection. Now, if a person has leukemia, abnormal white blood cells form in the bone marrow and spread into the bloodstream where they compete with healthy cells, thereby weakening the immune system.

Ø  Myeloma affects plasma cells

Plasma cells are basically white blood cells that produce antibodies. In myeloma, abnormal plasma cells accumulate in the bone marrow, causing weak bones, fractures and other such symptoms.

Ø  No screening for early detection

Unlike breast or colon cancer, which can be detected and treated at an early stage, there are no such effective screening tests available for blood cancer. This means that people with this disease are usually unaware until they experience symptoms like weight loss, fever or weakened immunity.

Ø  Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the usual choice of treatment. It involves taking drugs that destroy cancer cells, leading to slowing down the progression of the disease. In some cases, patients might have to undergo radiation therapy and bone marrow transplant.

Ø  Living longer and better

Survival rates have doubled in the last 20 years. New treatments are being introduced that target specific proteins in cancer walls without causing any further harm to other cells. This leads to fewer side effects and guarantee longevity of life for patients.

Ø  On the verge of discovery

Introducing new cutting-edge technology, Fortis has thrived to be one of the best cancer hospitals in India. These treatments which include immunologic treatments that harness the body’s immune system to fight malignancy have proved to be effective in the long run.

Ø  But there’s a long way to go

Fortunately, blood cancer is a type of cancer in which the cure rate is immensely high. With the right medication and treatment, a patient can actually be entirely cured. One should exercise regularly, live a healthy lifestyle, compromise on junk and drink plenty of water in order to prevent this from spreading further.

Fighting blood cancers is a massive effort. We’re all in it together.