Cancer is the most dangerous disease noticeable throughout the world. The most common type of cancer that affects men is prostate cancer. Prostate is a small exocrine gland situated directly below the bladder and in front of the rectum. This is gland is approximately in size of a walnut and plays an important role in production of a milky fluid during orgasm of sex in which the semen travels. During the climax stage of the prostate gland is forced to push the fluid and remove the semen out of the reproductive structures.

Prostate gland is a slow progressive disease which makes many males left unidentified even the presence of prostate cancer even until they die. 6 out of 100 male over the age of 60 are getting prostate cancer. Though prostate cancer can be cured at a better rate when compared to other type of cancer it is always best to stay protected. Prevention is always better than cure. Here are few tips to keep your prostate healthy.

Signs and symptoms of prostate cancer-

During the early stages of prostate cancer there are usually no symptoms. Most men at this stage find out they have prostate cancer after a routine check up or blood test. When symptoms do exist, they are usually one or more of the following:

The patient urinates more often

The patient gets up at night more often to urinate

He may find it hard to start urinating

He may find it hard to keep urinating once he has started

There may be blood in the urine

Urination might be painful

Ejaculation may be painful (less common)

Achieving or maintaining an erection may be difficult (less common).

If the prostate cancer is advanced the following symptoms are also possible:

Bone pain, often in the spine (vertebrae), pelvis, or ribs

The proximal part of the femur can be painful

Leg weakness

Urinary incontinence

Fecal incontinence

Ways to have a healthy prostate  

Diet and weight   the most important factor is the diet to maintain a healthy weight. Avoid fatty food items and take fats from vegetables than from animals. Avoid dairy products and increase the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Exercise   have a regular practise of doing exercise at least for 30mins a day. This really helps you to keep your body fit.

Be precautious   if you have a family history of prostate cancer or if you feel you are at high risk of getting prostate cancer talk with your doctor about it and take preventive drugs as per the doctor s advice.

Red foods   research shows that men who consume red foods like watermelon, tomato and other red fruits are at lower risk of getting prostate cancer as they contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene

Caffeine   three to four cups of coffee per day reduces your risk of getting prostate cancer.

Stop smoking   if you are at high risk of getting prostate cancer it is best advised to quit smoking and alcohol.

Prostate Cancer - What To Expect

Colorectal surgery deals with the disorders of the rectum, anus and colon. Another name of colon is  large intestine . These three body parts form the last stages of the digestive process. When the human waste passes through the colon, its salt and water are extracted before it exits the body as human excreta.

Colorectal disorders

Swelling and inflammation of the veins in the anus (also called as Haemorrhoids)
Anal fissures- unnatural cracks and fissures in the anal area
Fistulas or the unnatural connections between the anus and other anorectal areas
Conditions of constipation
Incontinence in passing of faeces
When the walls of the rectum protrude through the anus- also called as Rectal prolapse
Birth defects such as imperforate anus
Anal cancer- this condition is rare
Colorectal cancer- cancer of colon and rectum
Any injuries to the anus
Removal of any objects inserted into the anus
Bowel habits after colorectal surgery
Many patients report cases of diarrhoea, leakage of stool or gas, urgency to use the toilet and a feeling of insufficient evacuation of faeces. Relax; these conditions are not going to last forever. Your rectum and anus are adjusting to new conditions after this surgery. These organs may take six to twelve months to adjust to new bowel habits.

Is there a need to take a laxative or stool softener?
There is no need to take laxatives after a colorectal surgery. Drink lots of water to make your stool softer and easy to pass. If there is a water deficiency in your body, then it may lead to your faeces becoming hard. In that case, take milk of magnesium, colace etc.

Activities post surgery
You can continue with your normal schedule after this surgical procedure. Carry on running, jogging, exercising, climbing up the stairs etc. even after your surgery. Gastroenterologists recommend that patients should desist from lifting loads weighing more than 10 pounds so that there are no post surgery complications.

Diet after colorectal surgery
Avoid spicy and heavy to digest meals after your surgery. Once the intestines begin working normally, you can continue having your spicy food. Chew your food well to aid its digestion.

Returning to work after colorectal surgery
Most people are back to their work after taking a break of 2-5 days. If the surgery is pretty detailed, you may have to take a break of up to a month. Patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery may have to take a rest of 2- 4 weeks before they report back to work. Take it easy before slipping into your regular schedule. If working hurts after your surgery, don t do it.

Colorectal Surgery - Disorders It Can Treat!

An anal fissure is a small tear or crack in the lining of the anus which causes sharp pain, bleeding, itching, or burning.

An anal fissure can affect people of all ages, and it s often seen in infants and young children. Constipation is a common problem in this age group and it is a major cause of this problem.

An anal fissure usually isn t a serious condition. In most cases, the tear heals on its own within four to six weeks. In cases where the fissure persists beyond eight weeks, it s considered chronic, or long term.

Symptoms-

A visible tear in the skin around the anus
A small lump of skin just next to the tear
A sharp pain in the anal area during bowel movements
Streaks of blood on stools or on wiping
Burning or itching around the anus
Causes-

Straining during childbirth
Straining during bowel movements as a result of constipation
Chronic constipation
Diarrhea
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Overly tight anal sphincter muscles
In rare cases, an anal fissure may develop due to:

Anal cancer which occurs due mostly to ano-receptive sex without barrier protection
HIV infection
Tuberculosis
Syphilis
Herpes
Let s take a closer look at these risk factors.

Anal fissures are common in infants and young kids. Older adults also become prone to anal fissures as the blood flow to the anorectal region decreases.
Women also become prone to these fissures due to straining during childbirth.
The inflammation that occurs in the intestinal lining in people with IBD makes the tissue around the anus more prone to tearing, further causing fissures.
People who frequently experience constipation are at an increased risk for fissures. Also, one can suffer from fissures due to straining and passing large, hard stools. In both these cases, one may experience tears in the anal lining.
Frequent diarrhea can also tear the skin around the anus and so can ano-receptive sex without protection. This can lead to sexually transmitted diseases like genital herpes, HIV/AIDS and infection with HPV virus which causes anal cancer.
Treatment-

Treatment usually helps control anal fissures and the discomfort it causes. Your doctor will prescribe stool softeners and topical pain relievers to stem discomfort. However, if these do not make your anal fissure go away then surgery may be required. And in addition to this, your doctor will also need to look for other underlying causes that can cause anal fissures like for example anal cancer.

Diagnosis

An anal fissure can be diagnosed by simple physical exam. The doctor looks at the area around your anus and follows it up with a rectal exam to confirm the diagnosis.
This can mean the use of an anoscope. In this, the doctor inserts an anoscope into your rectum to be able to see the anal tear.
An anoscope is a thin tube and it allows doctors to inspect the anal canal. An anoscope is also used to diagnose other causes of anal or rectal pain such as hemorrhoids or piles.

How Anal Fissures are Diagnosed?

Bladder cancer refers to a  cancer, which arises from the epithelial lining or the urothelium of the urinary bladder. In the most common form of bladder cancer, the normal histology of the urothelium is recapitulated. It is called transitional cell carcinoma. Bladder cancer is a serious form of cancer that leads to many deaths too.

Treatment:
There are several modes of treatment for bladder cancer. They are:

1. Bladder cancer surgery: Surgeries are common for treating bladder cancer. 

2. Transurethral resection of bladder tumor or TURBT: This mode is used for determining the presence of bladder cancer and to find out if it has invaded the bladder wall muscle layer. This treatment mode is generally used in the early stages of bladder cancer.

3. Cystectomy: A cystectomy is undertaken when bladder cancer is very invasive and parts of the bladder or the whole of it has to be removed. There are two types of cystectomy.

Partial cystectomy is used when the cancer invades the bladder muscle layer in a small area. It can be removed without the whole bladder being taken out.
A Radical cystectomy is undertaken in case the cancer affects a large area and is present in multiple areas of the bladder. This surgery removes the bladder entirely and all its nearby lymph nodes.
4. Intravesical therapy: In intravesical therapy, a liquid drug is put directly into the bladder via a catheter instead of injecting it or consuming it orally. The cells lining the bladder are affected without causing any harm to other body parts. This therapy is usually used after TURBT in non-invasive cases of bladder cancer to prevent recurrence.

5. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is an effective treatment for bladder cancer. Chemotherapy may be used in two ways:

Intravesical chemotherapy, where the chemo drug is put directly into the bladder and is applicable only for early treatment stages.
Systematic chemotherapy, which involves the injection of chemo drugs into the vein or muscle and can also be administered in the form of pills. The drug reaches all parts of the body via the bloodstream and affects all cancer cells.
6. Radiation therapy: This treatment procedure for bladder cancer involves the use of high energy radiation for killing cancer cells. It is used in early phases of treatment and is the primary remedy for people who cannot have a surgery. It is combined with chemotherapy to make the radiation effective. The most common type of radiation therapy for treating bladder cancer is called external-beam radiation therapy where radiation occurs from an outside source.

Bladder cancer is a severe form of cancer. Proper and ideal treatment is required among the several treatment methods available.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Bladder Cancer and How It Can Be Treated

Following are some common Gall Bladder and Biliary Disorders. Read on to know in brief about them. 

1. Gall stones: Gall stones also known as cholelitiasis is a condition in which gall bladder contains stones or calculi. Usually, these stones are asymptomatic and do not cause any trouble to the patients. Few patients experience recurrent right upper abdominal pain. This condition is known as biliary colic and if it persists, the patiet is adviced gall bladder removal surgery. Sometimes the patient presents with severe right upper abdominal pain with fever and deranged Liver function tests. This condition is known as acute cholecystitis. The surgery is minimally invasive and is called Laproscopic cholecystectomy. If there are dense adhesions, the surgeon may plan to convert the surgery to open cholecystectomy. The patient is usually discharged by day 3 of surgery.

2. Common bile duct stone or choledocholithiasis: Occasionally stone from the gall bladder slips into the common bile duct (CBD stone).This causes obstruction of the bile duct causing Fever, abdominal pain and Jaundice. This is called Cholangitis and is a medical emergency. The patient requires urgent hospitalisation and decompression of the bile duct by inserting a plastic stent in the CBD with the help of ERCP. Severe untreated cholangitis can be life threatenig.CBD Stones which are detected because of dull aching abdominal pain, deranged liver function tests or by ultrasonography also need removal. The CBD stone is removed by an endoscopic modality called ERCP, which is minimally invasive and needs no surgery.

3. Bile duct cancer or cholangiocarcinoma: Cancer of bile duct usually occurs in the elderly patients who present with gradually progressive jaundice. Because of the obstruction to the flow of bile, produced in the liver, the patient develops jaundice. Gastroenterologists examine the patient and CT scan abdomen with MRCP is required to fully evaluate the stage and extent of the tumour. The treatment is multimodality and requires the expertise of Radiologists, Surgeons, Oncologists and gastroenterologists. The Gastroenterologists can help in decreasing Jaundice by inserting plastic or a metal stent (SEMS self-expanding metal stent ) in the common bile duct. These are very aggressive tumours and very few patients are fit for surgery. Survival is very low for these tumours.

4. Gall bladder cancer: Gall bladder cancers are very aggressive and lethal cancers. The patients present with obstructive Jaundice and Itching all over the body. Definitive treatment is surgery but very patients present in the early stage. Advanced stage cancers are treated with palliative intent by metal stenting (SEMS for cancer of gall bladder) to reduce jaundice.

Learn More About Gall Bladder And Biliary Disorders!

Are your regular exercises and the strict diet proving futile on your quest for a tighter and a flatter tummy? You can consider getting an 'abdominoplasty' or 'tummy tuck' done. This cosmetic surgery helps in flattening your abdomen by taking off the extra skin and fat and tightening up the muscles in the walls of your abdomen.

The procedure
1. The first step involves choosing a surgeon for consultation.
2. There are two types of  tummy tuck  surgery, both carried out under general anesthesia.  Complete abdominoplasty  whereby, your surgeon would dissect your abdomen from one hipbone to the other and then give an outline to your muscle, tissue and skin.  Mini or partial abdominoplasty  are recommended for people whose fat deposits are underneath their naval region.

Complete Abdominoplasty
 Complete Abdominoplasty  involves making a big incision around the lower part of the tummy from one hip to another, making a second cut in order to free the belly of the tissue that surrounds that region, separating the skin from the walls around the abdomen, re-aligning the muscles in the abdomen, removing the supplementary skin and fat and then pulling forth the skin remains and stitching them too.

Partial Abdominoplasty
Partial Abdominoplasty requires making a large cut on the lower belly, separating the skin from your abdominal wall, cutting out the excess fat, removing the additional skin and holding the remaining part of the skin together and finally stitching it in place.

Time taken for the surgery
The surgery may stretch from one to about five hours.

Pre-requisites

You will have to cut down on the consumption of alcohol and especially smoking; smoking leads to more complication and slows down the healing process.
It is recommended to have a well-balanced meal before the surgery.
After-care

You may suffer from swelling and pain in the days after the surgery, for which your doctor would prescribe pain-killers.
Regardless of the type of surgery conducted, the portion that was operated on would be stitched and bandaged. Therefore, it is very important to abide by the surgeon s instructions about how you should take care of the dressing in the days to follow.

Tummy Fat - Can Surgery Be Considered to Reduce it?

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