Prostate Cancer

The prostate gland is about the same size and shape as a chestnut. It’s located at the base of the bladder. The urethra runs below it between two lobes of muscle tissue that reach from either side of the prostate. These two muscular lobes are the way in which the flow of urine is regulated through the urethra.

Inside the prostate seminal fluid is produced. This is the fluid that is released during orgasm and carries a man’s sperm.

When abnormal cells are produced and begin to reproduce, they grow into a mass of tissue called a tumor. When the cancerous cells begin to outgrow the normal cells, the functions of the prostate gland and the two lobes become compromised.

Usually prostate cancer has a slow growth rate. There have been cases where it has developed abnormally fast, but this is not typically the case. Prostate cancer cure rates are quite high when it is in the early stages, but there are typically no symptoms – so regular screening is essential.

Stage T1

Stage T1 prostate cancer is when it is first developing. Tumors at this point are small and there are no physical signs or symptoms outside of an elevated PSA level in the blood. PSA is the prostate specific antigen released into the blood as a result of tumors developing in the gland. A doctor may only be suspicious of the presence of cancer if the blood test results indicated an unusually high PSA level. If the suspicion is very high, for instance if the patient had close relatives with prostate cancer, a tissue sample would be sent for a biopsy to verify it. (more…)

FeLV or feline leukemia is considered a retrovirus. This means that the RNA is changed into a c-DNA provirus, and can become a part of cells it has infected, making them able to spread the virus. This affects only cats, and is found worldwide. An infected cat can stop the disease on its own in the first stage only, but if the cancer makes it to second stage it is fatal.

Cats normally do not show symptoms of feline leukemia in the early stages, but some do manifest. These include low grade fever, general sickness and enlarged lymph nodes as well as blood disorders. Other forms of cancer such as anemia, tumor and leukemia develop in the second stage.

Not all cats are necessarily in danger of these symptoms after they are infected, as many felines have a hereditary immunity. Others can develop immunity after having the symptoms for a short time. Either way, immunity can lead to a life with nor risk of infection at all.

At this time there is no treatment for feline leukemia, but viruses infect on regular basis. So most cases of FeLV will result in the cat dying a death all its own, and not related to the feline leukemia. Healthy immunities will neutralize these infections, but this cat cancer is of a type different from all other feline cancers. It specifically attacks the immune system so that secondary infections are a bigger problem and threat to life than the original infection.

Treatments such as chemotherapy and other conventional methods are deemed ineffective for feline leukemia. If the cat responds to the treatment there is still a chance of relapse when the vigor returns. Owners are normally told the common outcome, and are given a chance to go on with treatment or to allow the cat to stay in the hospital with herbal and natural cat cancer remedies where the quality of life can be good for survival.