Pria dan ancaman kanker prostat

Pria dan ancaman kanker prostat

Prostat adalah kelenjar sebesar buah kenari yang letaknya tepat di bawah kandung kemih dan hanya ada pada kaum pria. Prostat adalah penghasil sebagian besar cairan di dalam air mani (semen) yang menjaga sperma agar tetap hidup.

Kelenjar prostat mulai berkembang sebelum bayi lahir dan akan terus berkembang hingga mencapai usia dewasa. Perkembangan prostat dipengaruhi oleh hormon seks pria, yaitu androgen. Hormon androgen yang utama adalah testosteron.

Seiring dengan meningkatnya usia, testosteron akan menyebabkan prostat secara perlahan membesar. Prostat yang membesar tersebut dapat menghambat aliran air seni melewati uretra (pembuluh yang membawa air seni dari kandung kemih), sehingga mempersulit atau memperlambat keluarnya air seni sewaktu buang air kecil. Kondisi ini disebut pembesaran prostat jinak (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia/BPH), namun pembesaran prostat jinak bukanlah kanker.

Disebut sebagai kanker prostat jika sel-sel kelenjar prostat berkembang secara abnormal tidak terkendali sehingga mendesak dan merusak jaringan di sekitarnya. Menurut American Cancer Society, pada umumnya, kanker prostat berkembang dengan perlahan. Berdasarkan hasil otopsi di Amerika, pria usia lanjut yang meninggal karena suatu penyakit, ternyata juga menderita kanker prostat tetapi mereka tidak menyadarinya. Dalam studi ini juga dijelaskan sekitar 70-90% penderita kanker prostat tersebut berusia 80 tahun.

Bila Prostat Menjadi Kanker

Bila Prostat Menjadi Kanker

Karena penyebab kanker prostat tidak diketahui secara pasti, tak ada seorang pun bisa mengatakan bagaimana mencegahnya. Namun, banyak penelitian menyebutkan bahwa mengonsumsi makanan rendah lemak dan kolesterol dapat membantu mencegah kanker prostat.

Para ahli merekomendasikan agar pria rajin makan tomat merah dan produk kedelai, semisal tahu, tepung kedelai, susu kedelai, dan mengurangi konsumsi daging merah. Konsumsi vitamin A, E, dan D dikatakan bisa membantu mencegah pertumbuhan tumor dalam prostat manusia maupun hewan. Demikian juga olahraga teratur dan proporsional.

Diperkirakan sekitar 30 persen pria usia di atas 50 tahun menderita kanker prostat tanpa disadari. Bahkan, jumlah itu meningkat sampai 90 persen pada pria berusia 90-an tahun.Sebab itu, pria dianjurkan untuk selalu melakukan cek kesehatan rutin setiap tahun. Kegiatan ini sebaiknya dimulai sebelum menginjak usia 40-an.

Meski pembengkakan prostat berjalan pelan, untuk kasus kanker, perkembangannya termasuk cepat. Pemeriksaan kanker biasanya dilakukan dengan cara colok dubur dan pengujian darah antigen, khusus prostat atau PSA (prostate-specific antigen).

Bila Anda dicurigai terkena kanker, akan dilakukan tes lagi. Kadar normal PSA antara 0 sampai 4 Mg/l atau mikrogram per liter. Kalau kadar PSA meningkat lebih dari 4 Mg/l dan sama dengan 9 Mg/l, Anda berisiko kena kanker prostat. Namun, bila lebih, misalnya 10 Mg/l, risiko terkena kanker meningkat sampai 65 persen!

Pada stadium awal, kanker bisa diatasi dengan radiasi dan pembedahan. Terapi ini bahkan bisa mengurangi ketidakmampuan seksual Anda. Tentu saja, Anda yang berusia di atas 40-an sangat dianjurkan untuk melakukan pemeriksaan kadar PSA setiap tahun supaya kondisi kesehatan lebih dini diketahui. Lebih dini diketahui, kondisinya lebih mudah disembuhkan.

The Frog Prince (English Story)

The Frog Prince

(The Brothers Grimm)

There was once a handsome young prince who had the misfortune to offend a wicked fairy. To avenge herself she turned him into an ugly frog and put him into a well.

Now it happened that the well was in the courtyard of a king's palace and on fine days, when the sun shone warmly, the king's youngest daughter sometimes came there to amuse herself by tossing a golden ball high into the air and catching it as it fell. The poor frog watched her running to and fro in the sunshine. He thought she was the prettiest princess he had ever seen.

One day, the princess threw the ball up so high that when she stretched out her hand to catch it the ball bounced on the stones and fell with a splash into the water. She ran to the edge of the well and gazed down. But the golden ball had sunk far, far out of sight. Only a little ring of bubbles showed her where it had disappeared. She began to cry bitterly.

JAYAPRANA and LAYONSARI (English Story)

JAYAPRANA and LAYONSARI

Once upon a time there was a small kingdom called Kalianget. At one time the kingdom was plagued by deadly diseases which killed many of its people including most of the king’s family members. This made the King very sad so he decided to visit his people to entertain himself and his people. At a crossroad he met a boy child who was crying for the loss of his parents and brothers. The king decided to adopt the boy since he had already lost all his children in the epidemic that swept through the kingdom. He took the boy to his palace and made arrangements for him to become one of the family. This boy was Jayaprana.

The king loved him as his own child and did everything to keep him happy. Still, as the boy grew to become a handsome adult Jayaprana decided not to interfere with others and approach life in a simple way, even though being the son of a King.

Then, the time had finally come and Jayaprana fell in love with a beautiful flower seller at the market. The girl was Layonsari. She also fell in love with Jayaprana and his father, the King, agreed with their good intentions and accepted the notion of marriage.

The kingdom was delighted with the marriage of Jayaprana and Layonsari but shortly after dark clouds of trouble began to hover above the kingdom. The king had fallen in love with Layonsari which was now the wife of his only son, Jayaprana.

Goldilocks And The Three Bears (English story)

Goldilocks And The Three Bears

   

Once upon a time in a large forest, close to a village, stood the cottage where the Teddy Bear family lived. They were not really proper Teddy Bears, for Father Bear was very big, Mother Bear was middling in size, and only Baby Bear could be described as a Teddy Bear.

Each bear had its own size of bed. Father Bear's was large and nice and comfy. Mother Bear's bed was middling in size, while Baby Bear had a fine little cherrywood bed that Father Bear had ordered from a couple of beaver friends.

Beside the fireplace, around which the family sat in the evenings, stood a large carved chair for the head of the house, a delightful blue velvet armchair for Mother Bear, and a very little chair for Baby Bear.

 Neatly laid out on the kitchen table stood three china bowls. A large one for Father Bear, a smaller one for Mother Bear, and a little bowl for Baby Bear.