When a person is diagnosed with a disease like cancer, it is not just hard physically, but it affects a person’s mental health too. There is no individual who undergoes hardship, but their entire family has to go through those difficulties. Cancer is a serious illness, and an individual needs mental, emotional and financial support in this situation. It is especially important to stay strong and positive and not lose hope for betterment. At the same time, an individual’s positive attitude can boost recovery and help in getting a cure.
Cancer treatment can affect a family’s financial reserves. Due to the long treatment process, you need things to be planned; that’s where health insurance jumps in and helps a lot in your difficult time. Advanced medical support can help with better treatment, early diagnosis, and proper medical treatment can help an individual with better recovery. But the most challenging part for families in this tough situation is the high cost of treatment and medication. Hospital daily cash insurance can also provide additional financial support by covering daily hospital expenses.
There are many insurance companies available in India that offer specific insurance policies that focus mainly on cancer-related treatments. It helps deal with the cost of therapies and other medical expenses for this evil illness.
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer develops exactly in the prostate area. It is a small walnut-like gland located below the bladder and in front of the rectum in men. This small prostate gland secretes fluid that then mixes with semen and helps in keeping sperm healthy for conception and pregnancy. Prostate cancer is a dangerous disease, and it needs serious treatment to be cured; luckily, it can be diagnosed before it spreads to other parts. Proper treatment at an early stage often cures cancer.
How many types of prostate cancer are there?
If an individual gets diagnosed with prostate cancer, it’s most likely an adenocarcinoma, as adenocarcinomas start in the cells of glands that secrete fluid. It is rare that prostate cancer forms from other types of cells.
Here is the list of less common types of prostate cancer:
- Sarcomas
- Transitional cell carcinomas
- Small cell carcinomas
- Neuroendocrine tumors
What are some common symptoms of prostate cancer?
It is exceedingly rare that early-stage prostate cancer causes any kind of noticeable symptoms. However, an individual may face these issues as the disease progresses:
- Weak flow of urine
- Frequent urination or sometimes urgent urination
- Loss of bladder control
- Loss of bowel control
- Blood in semen or pee
- Painful ejaculation
- Pain in your lower back, chest, or hip
What causes prostate cancer?
There is no exact reason cells turn into cancer cells. In general, prostate cancer is caused when cells divide faster than usual. That’s where normal cells die, and cancer cells don’t, and they even multiply and grow into a lump called a tumour. It is good that prostate cancer usually grows slowly and doesn’t spread beyond the prostate. And it is highly treatable at this stage.
Breaking down prostate cancer cost:
- Pre-hospitalisation medical costs: There will be many screenings to detect the disease and prevent its dangerous complications. Pre-hospitalisation care involves OPD visits, diagnostic tests, consultations, blood tests, and many more. All this will be taken care of by the cancer cover.
- Hospitalisation cover: Under the health insurance for prostate cancer, the policyholder is eligible to get a claim for all the expenses that come with hospitalisation like room rent, ICU charges, ambulance costs and other things too.
- Post-hospitalisation cost: Even after successful surgery, medical care continues, and the daily check-ups are lined up. All the doctor visits and medication charges will be covered under a certain health insurance policy.
What are the risk factors of prostate cancer?
Some of the most common risk factors include:
- Age: Age is one of the risk factors. As you get older, your risk of getting prostate cancer also increases. Approximately 60% of prostate cancer occurs in people older than 50.
- Your family race: People who are African ancestry are more likely to develop prostate cancer.
- Genetics: Your genetics can play a great role if an individual has Lynch syndrome or an inherited mutated gene that can increase breast cancer risk.
- Family medical history: Chances of getting prostate cancer are more likely to increase if your close family member has it, as if you share the same genetics.
Other risk factors that may increase an individual’s chance of getting prostate cancer:
- Smoking
- Sexually transmitted infection (STI)
- BMI (Body mass index) is 30 or higher (obesity)
- Exposure to Agent Orange (a type of agent used during the Vietnam War)
How prostate cancer is diagnosed?
The easiest way to diagnose prostate cancer is by screening; it can help in catching prostate cancer earlier. But if someone is at a higher risk of getting prostate cancer, they can start early. Mostly, the first screening happens at the age of 55, and screening usually stops at the age of 70. However, if the screening test shows that you may have prostate cancer, your healthcare provider will ask you to take some blood tests for better understanding.
What are the screening tests for prostate cancer?
The screening test is done to see if a person has signs of prostate cancer. If yes, it may need more testing:
- Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) Blood test: Protein-specific antigen or PSA is a type of protein made by the prostate gland. A PSA test is done to check protein levels, as high PSA levels may indicate cancer. Sometimes, PSA levels can rise due to other conditions, too, like BPH or prostatitis.
- Digital rectal exam: The healthcare provider will insert a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum and try to feel the prostate gland. Any kind of bumps or hard area may be a sign towards cancer.
What are the diagnostic procedures for prostate cancer?
Diagnosis for prostate cancer is not made for everyone; if your healthcare provider thinks that the tumour is growing slowly and needs no more testing or urgent treatment, then testing may be delayed. However, if the tumour is growing aggressively, the person may need additional testing, which includes a biopsy.
- Imaging test: A transrectal ultrasound or MRI can show clear images of the prostate gland, which can also show the suspicious area that may have a tumour growing. These imaging test results will help your healthcare provider in deciding whether to perform a biopsy or not.
- Biopsy: Biopsy is the only sure way to know how aggressive prostate cancer is and the only way to accurately diagnose prostate cancer. In the needle biopsy, your healthcare provider will remove a tissue as a sample for future testing in the lab to check cancer effects. However, they may perform some genetic tests on the sample to make them more likely to respond to certain treatments.
How is prostate cancer managed or treated?
Treatment of prostate cancer depends on various factors, including your overall condition of the cancer spread and how fast it is spreading. For your treatment, you may have to work with multiple healthcare providers. However, most of the prostate cancer cases diagnosed at an early stage can be cured with proper treatment and support.
Learn why health insurance is important:
Health insurance is important for every individual as it provides financial security against medical expenses and helps with better treatment. Here are a few benefits health insurance provides in a medical emergency:
- Financial protection: Health insurance helps you in unexpected medical emergencies. It manages your high medical expenses and provides you with financial safety. It covers all these expenses without having to use your savings.
- Preventive care: With health insurance, a person can get free vaccines, screenings, and check-ups.
- Emergency situation: Health insurance provides support in times of medical emergency, as emergencies can occur at any time, like accidents or sudden critical illnesses.
- Rise in healthcare cost: Due to rising healthcare costs, it is hard for people to get proper medical treatment with their savings and not get into debt. Choosing the best health insurance can help alleviate these financial burdens significantly.
Conclusion:
Prostate cancer is a critical condition and needs proper treatment and care. After knowing about the situation, it is essential for an individual to consult their doctor and get screening and treatment that suits the condition. With all the check-ups, medication, screening, surgery and post-care, your medical expenses will increase, and to cover all that, you need health insurance. Learn about prostate cancer treatment costs and why it is important to have health insurance for better and easier treatment access.
