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CASE NOTES
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PROGRAMME INFO |
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Dr Mark Porter gives listeners the low-down on what the medical profession does and doesn't know. Each week an expert in the studio tackles a particular topic and there are reports from around the UK on the health of the nation - and the NHS.
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Contact Case Notes |
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LISTEN AGAIN Ìý30 min |
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PRESENTER |
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"I spend half my week practising medicine and the other half writing and talking about it as a GP in Gloucestershire. Working on Case Notes has been a boon for both me and my patients. One of the principal aims of the programme is to keep our listeners up-to-date with the latest developments in healthcare, and to accomplish that I get to interview a wide range of specialists at the cutting edge of medicine. A rare privilege that ensures our listeners aren't the only ones to learn something new."
Mark Porter
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PROGRAMME DETAILS |
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 Full programme transcript >>
Prostate Cancer
Around 35,000 men develop cancer of the prostate every year in the UK – meaning it affects nearly as many men, as breast cancer does women. Yet there is vast difference in public awareness. Most men don’t even know where their prostate gland is.
In young men, the gland is usually the shape and size of a walnut - and it increases slowly in size with age. It lies just underneath the bladder neck and surrounds the urethra that men pass urine and semen through.
While prostate cancer can cause symptoms due to generalised swelling of the gland – such as needing to get up frequently in the night for a pee, or noticing that your stream isn’t as powerful as it used to be – it has to be fairly advanced to get that stage. Most men with these symptoms will have benign age related swelling of the gland, and a blood test is often only the clue in those with cancer.
The PSA test - which measures a protein produced by the prostate gland - can show that there is a problem with the prostate. It should be used together with other tests for diagnosing prostate cancer. Some doctors - like Professor Roger Kirby of The Prostate Centre in London - believe that men over 50 should have a PSA test every year, especially if they have a family history of prostate cancer. African Caribbean men are three times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than white men and researchers are looking at what may ause this increased risk. Diet and genes appear to play an important part.
Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer will be offered one of three options – no actual treatment but active surveillance, radiotherapy or surgery – and there is still hot debate as to what works best for which men.
Mark hears from Phil Kissi, who chose to have keyhole surgery when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was concerned about possible sexual problems as the operation carries a risk of causing impotence because of damage done to the delicate nerves during surgery. Since his operation he's used drugs to help achieve a normal erection and his sex life is getting back to normal - thanks to the patience of his partner!
The Da Vinci prostatectomy uses the latest robotically assisted keyhole technique and Mark sees the device in action with surgeon Professor David Neal at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Next week: Back Pain
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RELATED LINKS
- Freephone Helpline Number - 0800 074 8383
Everyman
Orchid Cancer Appeal
91Èȱ¬ Health: Prostate Cancer
The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external websites
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