Early screening and treatment are very important, as the three brothers have been diagnosed with the same type of cancer one after another! Doctor's reminder: If there is a family history
Recently, Director Gu Bin's team from the Urology Department of Pudong New Area People's Hospital successfully performed surgery on a 76 year old prostate cancer patient, Mr. Chen. He has now recovered and been discharged from the hospital. And Chen's younger brother and older brother were also diagnosed with prostate cancer during community early screening and medical treatment in the previous three years. Gu Bin reminds that prostate cancer patients have familial genetic characteristics. Men with a familial genetic history are recommended to undergo PSA screening once a year starting from the age of 45. Early prostate cancer can be cured.
Mr. Chen, who lives in Jiangzhen, Pudong, has been retired for many years. At the age of 76, he usually has no major health problems, so he never thought about going to the hospital for a physical examination. Recently, Mr. Chen went to Pudong New Area People's Hospital for treatment due to a urinary tract infection. During the examination, it was found that the PSA index was 24.9ng/L, which is more than six times higher than the normal upper limit.
Uncle Chen felt uneasy after receiving the inspection report. Is there a problem with my prostate too? He thought of his older brother and younger brother being diagnosed with prostate cancer in recent years and undergoing surgical treatment one after another, and suddenly had a bad feeling. Accompanied by his family, Mr. Chen went to the urology department of Pudong New Area People's Hospital to seek help from Gu Bin, a specialist in urology.
Gu Bin carefully reviewed Mr. Chen's examination report and inquired about his physical condition. During the conversation, Mr. Chen mentioned that his two biological brothers were also early-stage prostate cancer patients, and the surgery was performed by Gu Bin at that time. Gu Bin found through medical records that his 71 year old younger brother was diagnosed with early prostate cancer through a prostate cancer screening activity led by him at the Jiangzhen Community Health Service Center in August 2020. He was diagnosed with elevated PSA during the activity and subsequently underwent a puncture in the hospital; The 79 year old brother, on the other hand, was diagnosed with early prostate cancer after being diagnosed with elevated PSA during last year's physical examination and seeking outpatient treatment. The two brothers have both recovered very well after surgery, and Mr. Chen said that it is precisely because of this that they have come to admire this "fate".
Generally speaking, there are three possible increases in PSA indicators: prostate infection, prostate hyperplasia, and prostate tumor, which is a malignant tumor highly related to genetics. After hearing Mr. Chen's description, Gu Bin immediately became alert and quickly admitted him to the hospital. After ultrasound-guided puncture biopsy, the pathological report showed that Mr. Chen was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fortunately, it belongs to tumors with good differentiation and low malignancy, and has the conditions for surgery. After a comprehensive preoperative examination, Gu Bin performed laparoscopic radical prostatectomy on him. At present, Mr. Chen has also recovered and been discharged from the hospital, returning home.
Gu Bin stated that although cases of the three brothers suffering from the same type of cancer are not common, they are very typical. "Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor highly correlated with genetics. According to relevant data reports, familial prostate cancer accounts for 4% in China." He reminds male patients that if their first-degree relatives have a confirmed diagnosis of prostate cancer, it can be determined as familial prostate cancer. If one of the first degree relatives has prostate cancer, the risk of cancer will increase by two times; Two first-degree relatives have prostate cancer, and the risk of cancer increases fivefold. "Like Mr. Chen's family, all three of his siblings have been diagnosed with cancer. If there is a fourth brother, the risk of cancer will increase tenfold. At the same time, the risk of cancer for siblings is higher than that of fathers and sons. In addition, if a brother or father has cancer at an earlier age, the risk of familial disease will also be higher before the age of 65."
Since 2020, the urology team of Pudong New Area People's Hospital has been continuously conducting early screening for prostate cancer in the community. Among 1600 male residents aged 50 and above, 1.8 to 2 early prostate cancer patients can be screened for every 100 residents. Since 2023, with the continuous implementation of the monthly "Early Prostate Cancer Screening" campaign and the popularization of related medical knowledge, this disease has also received more attention from the population, and more middle-aged and elderly men are willing to undergo PSA testing for prostate indicators screening.
"PSA testing is currently the most important and valuable screening method for prostate cancer screening. Compared with rectal digital examination and transrectal prostate ultrasound, it has a higher predictive rate for positive diagnosis of prostate cancer." Gu Bin suggests that men with abnormal PSA index should seek medical consultation at the urology department as soon as possible to avoid delaying the condition; Middle aged and elderly men who are in good physical condition and have a life expectancy of more than 10 years should also undergo regular prostate cancer screening. It is recommended to do prostate cancer screening once a year. If there are family risk factors for prostate cancer, the screening age should be advanced to 45 years old.