​What Are Enlarged Prostate and Prostate Cancer?

What Are Enlarged Prostate and Prostate Cancer?

什么是前列腺增生和前列腺癌？

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　　By Hai Do

　　30 January 2024

　　Britain's King Charles was treated recently for a medical condition called enlarged prostate. American Defense 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 "minimally 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 decided 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 walnut. It sits below the bladder, an organ that stores urine temporarily.

　　The prostate helps make semen, the fluid that carries sperm 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 benign prostatic hyperplasia), and prostate cancer.

　　Prostatitis

　　Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate that may result from a bacterial 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 antibiotics 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 blockage 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 surgical 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 tumor 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, hips 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.

　　I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Caty Weaver .

　　Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English with information from the National Institute of Health and the American Cancer Society. Additional reporting came from The Associated Press.

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　　由Hai Do撰写

　　2024年1月30日

　　英国国王查尔斯最近接受了一种名为前列腺增生的医疗状况的治疗。美国国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀最近因前列腺癌手术后的治疗在医院度过了两周。

　　70岁的奥斯汀起初并未公开他的医疗状况。他也没有告诉乔·拜登总统，他在12月22日对奥斯汀的前列腺进行了国防部描述的“微创”手术。

　　1月1日，国防部长出现严重疼痛，被救护车送往医院。他因手术相关的感染被送入重症监护部门。两周后，奥斯汀被出院。

　　未及时通知总统和公众的延误引发了广泛的批评。奥斯汀的一位发言人当时说，“...关于(前列腺癌)筛查、治疗和支持的讨论通常是非常个人和私密的。”

　　然而，查尔斯国王在1月17日宣布，他将接受一种针对前列腺增生的“矫正手术”。他的这个声明是在他得知自己的医疗状况的同一天发出的。1月29日，他在伦敦诊所接受了周末的治疗后离开。

　　英国皇室成员分享他们的健康状况是不寻常的。然而，查尔斯国王决定公开分享他的消息，以鼓励其他男性按照医学专家的建议检查他们的前列腺。皇宫表示，国王寻求治疗是“与每年数千名男性一样”。

　　什么是前列腺？

　　前列腺是男性生殖系统的一个小器官。

　　它大约有核桃大小和形状。它位于膀胱下方，膀胱是一个暂时储存尿液的器官。

　　前列腺帮助制造精液，这是携带人类繁殖所需的精子的液体。前列腺包围着尿道的一部分，尿道是将精子从睾丸或尿液从膀胱通过阴茎排出的管道。

　　随着男性年龄的增长，前列腺倾向于变大。医学专家说，它可能从核桃大小增长到40岁时的杏子大小，然后到60岁时的柠檬大小。然后，较大的前列腺可能会压迫尿道，导致排尿困难。

　　美国国家卫生研究院(NIH)表示，30多岁和40多岁的男性可能开始有排尿问题。该机构建议男性在出现以下四种情况中的任何一种时寻求医疗帮助。它们是：

　　白天和晚上排尿次数增多

　　有急迫的排尿需要

　　排尿困难或排尿非常缓慢

　　排尿时感到疼痛或灼热

　　NIH表示，三种最常见的前列腺问题是前列腺炎(或前列腺炎症)，前列腺增生(也称为BPH，或良性前列腺增生)，和前列腺癌。

　　前列腺炎

　　前列腺炎是可能由细菌感染引起的前列腺炎症。它在他们一生中的某个时候影响了至少一半的所有男性。

　　在美国，这种病症在年轻男性中最常见。大多数病例可以用抗生素药物治疗。有时，医生也会给予控制炎症和疼痛的药物。

　　前列腺增生(BHP)

　　查尔斯国王接受了前列腺增生或BPH的治疗。

　　BPH代表良性前列腺增生。良性意味着“非癌症”，增生意味着异常的细胞增长。BPH与癌症无关，也不会增加你患前列腺癌的风险。

　　轻度前列腺增生的患者可以简单地限制晚上的饮水，并更频繁地使用洗手间排空他们的膀胱。有些人服用有助于缓解影响尿流的肌肉的药物。

　　中度前列腺增生的患者可以服用有助于减小前列腺大小的药物。这些被称为“5α-还原酶抑制剂”的药物有助于缩小前列腺，减少阻塞，并限制需要进行侵入性医疗手术的需要。

　　在更严重的情况下，当药物治疗无效时，需要手术。

　　最常见的手术治疗是使用器械、射频波或激光切除额外的前列腺组织。在极少数情况下，当前列腺非常大时，医生可能会考虑完全切除这个器官。

　　前列腺癌

　　美国癌症协会表示，前列腺癌是男性中第二常见的癌症。皮肤癌是最常见的。

　　该组织估计，约有1/8的美国男性在他们的一生中会被诊断出患有前列腺癌。在65岁或更年长的人中，这个数字上升到6/10。患有前列腺癌家族史的人和黑人美国人的风险也比其他种族的男性更高。

　　2024年，该组织估计将有299,010例新的前列腺癌病例，大约有35,250人死于前列腺癌。

　　与大多数其他癌症相比，前列腺癌的生长速度较慢。细胞变化可能在肿瘤变得足够大以致引起明显症状的多年前就开始了。

　　除了排尿困难外，前列腺癌的其他症状包括：

　　尿液或精液中有血

　　射精疼痛

　　背部、臀部或骨盆区域的持续疼痛

　　有几种筛查测试可以寻找可能的前列腺癌迹象。它们包括尿液测试、体检和前列腺特异性抗原（或PSA）测试。

　　如果症状或测试暗示可能有前列腺癌，建议进行前列腺活检。医生从前列腺中取出几小块组织，并检查这些材料是否有癌细胞。任何可能的后续治疗取决于癌症的发展程度。

　　大多数在前列腺癌筛查检查后接受活检的男性并未患有癌症。

　　在防务部长奥斯汀的情况下，医生在1月26日表示，“他的癌症得到了早期和有效的治疗”，不需要进一步的治疗。

　　我是Dan Friedell。我是Caty Weaver。

　　Hai Do为Learning English撰写了这篇报道，信息来源于国家卫生研究院和美国癌症协会。其他报道来自美联社。

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　　这个故事中的词汇

　　minimally - adv. 最小限度地，非常小或微小的尺寸或数量

　　royal - adj. 与国王或女王有关的

　　encourage - v. 鼓励某人更有可能做某事

　　inflammation - n. 你身体的某部分肿胀和疼痛的状况

　　constant - adj. 一直发生的，持续的