VOA健康报道2024--What Are Enlarged Prostate and Prostate Cancer?

What Are Enlarged Prostate and Prostate Cancer?

Britain's King Charles was treated recently for a medical condition called enlarged prostate. American Defense¹ Secretary Lloyd Austin recently spent two weeks in a hospital for treatment following an operation for prostate cancer.

The 70-year-old Austin did not share any news of his medical condition publicly, at first. He also did not inform President Joe Biden of what the defense department described as a "minimally² invasive" operation on Austin's prostate on December 22.

On January 1, the defense chief developed severe pain and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. He was placed in the intensive care department with an infection linked to the operation. Austin was released two weeks later.

The delay in informing the president and the public led to widespread criticism. A spokesman for Austin said at the time, "... discussions about (prostate cancer) screening, treatment and support are often deeply personal and private ones."

King Charles, however, announced on January 17 that he would undergo a "corrective procedure" for an enlarged prostate. His announcement came on the same day the 75-year-old king learned of his medical condition. On January 29, he left London Clinic after spending the weekend there for treatment.

It is unusual for members of the British royal family to share details about their health. However, King Charles decided³ to share his news publicly to encourage other men to have their prostates checked as called for by medical experts. The palace said the king sought treatment "in common with thousands of men each year."

What is the prostate?

The prostate is a small organ of the male reproductive system.

It is about the size and shape of a walnut⁴. It sits below the bladder, an organ that stores urine temporarily.

The prostate helps make semen, the fluid that carries sperm⁵ cells required for human reproduction. The prostate surrounds part of the urethra, a tube that carries sperm from the testicles or urine out of the bladder through the penis.

As a man gets older, the prostate tends to grow larger. Medical experts say it could grow from the size of a walnut to the size of an apricot by the age of 40, and then to the size of a lemon by age 60. The larger prostate then may press against the urethra and cause problems in passing urine.

The U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) says men in their 30s and 40s may begin to have problems with passing urine. The agency advises men to seek medical help if they experience any of the four conditions. They are:

Passing urine more frequently day and night

Having an urgent need to pass urine

Having difficulty passing urine or passing urine very slowly

Feeling pain or burning while passing urine

The NIH says the three most common prostate problems are prostatitis (or inflammation of the prostate), enlarged prostate (also known as BPH, or benign⁶ prostatic hyperplasia), and prostate cancer.

Prostatitis

Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate that may result from a bacterial⁷ infection. It affects at least half of all men at some time during their lives.

In the U.S., this condition is most common among younger men. Most cases can be treated with antibiotics⁸ medicine. Sometimes, doctors also give drugs to control inflammation and pain.

Enlarged prostate (BHP)

King Charles was treated for an enlarged prostate or BPH.

BPH stands for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Benign means "not cancer," and hyperplasia means unusual cell growth. BPH is not linked to cancer and does not increase your risk of getting prostate cancer.

Those with mild cases of enlarged prostate could simply limit drinking in the evening and use the restroom more often to empty their bladders. Some take drugs that help ease muscles that affect urine flow.

People with moderate cases of enlarged prostate could take drugs that help reduce the size of the prostate. The drugs called "5 alpha-reductase inhibitors" help shrink the prostate, reduce blockage⁹ and limit the need for invasive medical operations called surgeries.

In more severe cases, surgery is needed when drug treatment does not work.

The most common surgical¹⁰ treatment is to cut away extra prostate tissue using an instrument, radio wave, or laser. In rare cases, when the prostate is very large, doctors might consider a complete removal of the organ.

Prostate cancer

The American Cancer Society says prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men. Skin cancer is the most common.

The group estimates that about 1 in 8 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. The number rises to 6 in 10 among those who are 65 or older. The risk is also higher among those with a family history of prostate cancer and among Black Americans than men of other ethnicities.

In 2024, the group estimates there will be 299,010 new cases of prostate cancer with about 35,250 deaths from prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer tends to grow slowly compared with most other cancers. Cell changes may begin many years before a tumor¹¹ gets big enough to cause noticeable signs.

In addition to difficulties with passing urine, other symptoms of prostate cancer include:

Blood in the urine or semen

Painful ejaculation

And constant pain in the back, hips¹² or pelvis area

There are several screening tests to look for signs of possible prostate cancer. They include urine tests, physical examinations and prostate-specific antigen (or PSA) tests.

If symptoms or tests suggest possible prostate cancer, a prostate biopsy is advised. Doctors remove several small tissues from the prostate and examine the material for cancer cells. Any treatment that might follow depends on how far the cancer has developed.

Most men who have biopsies after prostate cancer screening exams do not have cancer.

In the case of Defense Secretary Austin, doctors said on Jan. 26 that "his cancer was treated early and effectively" and no further treatments will be needed.

Words in This Story

minimally - adv. very small or slight in sizr=e or amount

royal - adj. relating to a king or queen

encourage - v. to make someone more likely to do something

inflammation - n. a condition in which a part of your body is swollen¹³ and painful

constant - adj. happening all the time

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 minimally   

最低限度地，最低程度地

参考例句：

• Food spoilage problems occur with minimally processed, concentrated frozen citrus products. 食品的变质也发生在轻微加工的、浓缩冷冻的柑橘制品中。
• So, minimally, they are responsible for such actions and omissions. 所以，至少来说，他们要对这样的行为和忽略负责。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 walnut   

n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色

参考例句：

• Walnut is a local specialty here.核桃是此地的土特产。
• The stool comes in several sizes in walnut or mahogany.凳子有几种尺寸，材质分胡桃木和红木两种。

5 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

6 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

7 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

8 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

9 blockage   

n.障碍物；封锁

参考例句：

• The logical treatment is to remove this blockage.合理的治疗方法就是清除堵塞物。
• If the blockage worked,they could retreat with dignity.如果封锁发生作用，他们可以体面地撤退。

10 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

11 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

12 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。