Prostate cancer
00:00 / 00:00
High Yield Notes
7 pages
Flashcards
Prostate cancer
of complete
Questions
USMLE® Step 1 style questions USMLE
of complete
Memory Anchors and Partner Content
External References
First Aid
2024
2023
2022
2021
Prostate cancer
adenocarcinomas p. 672
estrogens for p. 674
incidence/mortality of p. 202
leuprolide for p. 674
metastases of p. 222
tumor suppressor genes and p. 220
Transcript
Content Reviewers
Prostate cancer, usually refers to prostate adenocarcinoma, where adeno- means gland and carcinoma refers to uncontrolled growth of cells - so prostate cancer is a tumor or growth that originates in the prostate gland.
Only males are born with a prostate, so this condition only affects males and not females.
Typically, when there’s a prostate cancer it’s considered malignant, meaning that the tumor cells can metastasize, or invade and destroy surrounding tissues as well as tissues throughout the body.
The prostate is a small gland, about the size and shape of a walnut, that sits under the bladder and in front of the rectum.
The urethra which is the tube through which urine leaves the bladder, goes through the prostate before reaching the penis.
And that part of the urethra is called the prostatic urethra.
The prostate is covered by a capsule of tough connective tissue and smooth muscle.
Beneath this layer, the prostate can be divided into a few zones.
The peripheral zone, which is the outermost posterior section, is the largest of the zone and contain about 70% of the prostate’s glandular tissue.
Moving inward, the next section is the central zone which contains about 25% of the glandular tissue as well as the ejaculatory ducts that join with the prostatic urethra.
Last, is the transitional zone, which contains around 5% of the glandular tissue as well as a portion of the prostatic urethra.
The transitional zone gets its name because it contains transitional cells which are also found in the bladder.
The transitional zone undergoes hyperplasia, or an increase in the number of cells, in a large percentage of older men, and that often leads to compression of the urethra.
This is called benign prostatic hyperplasia and is often considered a normal part of aging.
At the microscopic level, each of the tiny glands that make up the prostate is surrounded by a basement membrane made largely of collagen.
Summary
Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. It usually arises in the posterior lobe of the prostate and can spread to other parts of the body, particularly the bones and lymph nodes. Symptoms include difficulty urinating, blood in the urine, weight loss, and pain in the pelvis during urination. Treatment may involve a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, and surgery.
For Institutions
Copyright © 2024 Elsevier, its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
Cookies are used by this site.
USMLE® is a joint program of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). COMLEX-USA® is a registered trademark of The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Inc. NCLEX-RN® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. Test names and other trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are endorsed by nor affiliated with Osmosis or this website.
