A Regular Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) After the Age Of 50 Can Help in Early Detection of Prostate Cancer
The prevalence of prostate cancer is rising in India. It is the second most common cancer in Indian males
Early diagnosis and timely intervention is the need of the hour
Mumbai: According to the recent data by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in India, the incidence rate of prostate cancer is reported as 9-10/100000 population which is higher when it comes to countries like Asia and Africa, but lower compared to the USA and Europe. Surely, these figures are alarming! Hence, the expert suggests going for complete physical examination including DRE in order to detect prostate cancer at an early stage.
Prostate cancer affects the prostate gland which is situated distal to the bladder neck. It is commonly seen in men above the age of 60. Typically, the symptoms are a frequent urge to urinate, painful urination, repeated urinary tract infections (UTI) and occasionally blood in the urine. Surgical treatment includes open surgery (open radical prostatectomy) that is the surgical removal of the prostate gland or minimal invasive surgery (MIS)- robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RALP). The additional benefits of the later are precision surgery, less blood loss and reduced pain with a short hospital stay, and early return to work.
Dr. Jagdeesh Kulkarni, Prof. of Uro oncology, Asian Cancer Institute, said, “People above the age of 60 are at an increased risk of suffering from prostate cancer. One of the best ways for early detection of prostate cancer is DRE and the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. Those people who have a family history of prostate cancer, irrespective of the symptoms should undergo regular check-ups including DRE and PSA, after the age of 45."
“Furthermore, it is recommended to embrace a healthy lifestyle, cessation of smoking, well-balanced diet, and regular physical exercises would go a long way in keeping prostate cancer at bay,” concluded Dr Kulkarni.
