Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

prostatectomy 331
PROSTATECTOMY. The doctor can palpate (feel) the
prostate gland through the wall of the rectum during
DIGITAL RECTAL EXAMINATION (DRE), which helps
detect prostate enlargement as well as abnormalities
that suggest other health concerns affecting
the prostate gland. Because the risk for prostate
cancer increases after age 40, DRE palpation of the
prostate gland becomes part of the ROUTINE MEDICAL
EXAMINATION for men age 40 and older.
HEALTH CONDITIONS THAT
CAN AFFECT THE PROSTATE GLAND
bacterial PROSTATITIS BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA (BPH)
nonbacterial prostatitis prostadynia
PROSTATE CANCER
prostatic ABSCESS
See also AGING, REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL
CHANGES THAT OCCUR WITH; CANCER PREVENTION.
prostate health Measures a man can take
throughout his life to maintain healthy function
of his PROSTATE GLAND. The prostate gland, which
wraps around the URETHRA at the base of the BLAD-
DER, produces the primary volume of SEMEN, the
fluid that carries SPERM out of the body during
EJACULATION, and the enzyme PROSTATE-SPECIFIC
ANTIGEN (PSA), which thins the semen to permit
sperm motility. The prostate gland functions
unobtrusively through most of a man’s life. In
early to mid-adulthood the most significant risk to
prostate health is INFECTION (PROSTATITIS), which
may be due to the spread of a sexually transmitted
disease (STD) such as GONORRHEA or may result
from non-STD causes.
In late midlife and beyond the prostate gland
begins to slowly enlarge, a natural aspect of aging.
Doctors call the enlargement BENIGN PROSTATIC
HYPERPLASIA (BPH). For about half of men over age
60 BPH becomes significant enough to constrict or
obstruct the urethra (the tubelike structure that
drains URINE from the bladder), causing symptoms
of urinary obstruction such as URINARY FREQUENCY
and hesitation. With increasing age the risk for
PROSTATE CANCER, the most serious health condition
affecting the prostate gland, also increases.
Dietary and lifestyle measures may slow the
progression of both BPH and prostate cancer.
Foods that support prostate health include
• SOY (soybeans, soy protein, tofu, tempeh)
• tomatoes and tomato-based foods such as
tomato sauce and tomato paste, which contain
LYCOPENE
• pink grapefruit and watermelon, which also
contain lycopene
• cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower,
cabbage, kale), which contain sulforaphane and
other isothiocyanates, substances that appear to
help prostate gland cells fight cancer
A number of studies show the herbal remedy
SAW PALMETTO can improve the symptoms of mild
to moderate BPH, apparently by shrinking the
prostate gland tissues. Some studies show a correlation
between high BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) and
more aggressive prostate cancers, and other studies
demonstrate a lower risk for cancer overall (as
well as CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE and DIABETES) with
healthy body weight and regular physical exercise.
In the United States, preventive health-care recommendations
call for PSA BLOOD level measurements
and DIGITAL RECTAL EXAMINATION (DRE) as part
of a man’s ROUTINE MEDICAL EXAMINATION beginning
around age 50. These tests may detect abnormal
function or size of the prostate gland that could be
early indications of BPH or prostate cancer.
See also AGING, REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL
CHANGES THAT OCCUR WITH; CANCER PREVENTION; DIET
AND HEALTH; EXERCISE AND HEALTH; LIFESTYLE AND
HEALTH; PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE AND IMMUNIZATIONS;
SEXUAL HEALTH; URETHRITIS; WEIGHT LOSS AND WEIGHT
MANAGEMENT.
prostatectomy A surgical OPERATION to remove
part or all of the PROSTATE GLAND. The prostate
gland encircles the URETHRA at the base of the
BLADDER. It produces the fluid that mixes with
SPERM to form SEMEN and produces the enzyme
PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN (PSA), which facilitates
sperm motility after EJACULATION. Prostatectomy is
primarily treatment for PROSTATE CANCER and
BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA (BPH) that constricts
the urethra to the extent that it interferes with
URINATION. Removal of the prostate gland ends a
man’s FERTILITY though not necessarily his ability to
have and ERECTION and ORGASM.