Hyperplasia is the increase in the number of cells in a given tissue, in this case in the prostate (prostate). The prostate is a gland only present in men that involves the urethra. Its main function is to produce and store a colorless and slightly alkaline fluid (pH ~ 7.29) which constitutes about 20% of the volume of the seminal fluid, which together with the sperm compose the semen.
THE hyperplasia can be benign (benign prostatic hyperplasia) or malignant (when it is called the malignant neoplasm of the prostate or simply prostate cancer.
THE benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) usually begins in men over 40 years of age and when associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) can have a major impact on quality of life.
Stromal and prostate epithelial hyperplasia can cause prostatic urethral stricture with difficulty urinating.
In cases of prostate cancer (malignant neoplasm), the symptoms usually appear late, hence the need for preventive tests from the age of 50 (rectal touch and PSA - prostate specific antigen, which increases in disease).
Sometimes, however, prostate cancer causes symptoms similar to those of benign prostatic hyperplasia, which will be described in detail below. The symptoms most characteristic (though not exclusive) of prostate cancer are blood in the urine (slightly reddish urine or blood color, depending on the degree of bleeding), bone pain, leg weakness, urinary incontinence (when there are already metastases, in more advanced cases),
The symptoms diseases can be obstructive (weak jet, effort to urinate, interrupted jet, hesitation, dripping, incontinence, emptying) or irritative (urgency to urinate, polaciuria - go several times a day to the bathroom and urinate little, suprapubic pain, nocturia - more than one episode of urination at night, among others).
O diagnosis can be done through clinical history (presence of LUTS), detailed physical examination, digital prostate examination (rectal examination), PSA and urinalysis, and supplemented with prostate biopsy, urinary cytology, among others depending on whether the suspicion is of HPB or cancer.
O treatment varies according to the disease (HPB or cancer) and how advanced it is; can only be resolved with drug treatment, in the case of initial BPH; in more advanced cases it is surgical (RTU - transurethral resection). In prostate cancer, the treatment is surgical or radiotherapeutic depending on the stage.
In the case of suspected HPB or prostate cancer, a urologist should be consulted as soon as possible for the correct evaluation and treatment.
