What cause Prostate cancer?

I would say the accumulation of mutated / unrepaired cells in the prostate, that's my guess because it is not known exactly what causes prostate cancer.

Doctors and scientists know that mutations in DNA can cause prostate cells to become cancerous, but they do not know what causes these mutations. Researchers think that prostate cancer is caused by a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors.

One sources states that there might be a link between prostate cancer and vitamin D. Studies have found that men with prostate cancer tend to have lower levels of vitamin D. However, the relationship between prostate cancer and vitamin D is complex and still being researched.

Vitamin D receptors are found on the surface of a cell and vitamin D can attach themselves to these receptors. By binding to a receptor, vitamin D sends chemical signals that direct a cell to do something, such as divide or die.

There are vitamin D receptors in prostate tissue, and vitamin D can bind to these receptors. This may cause cancerous cells to die, stop growing, or stop from spreading to other parts of the body. Therefore, it is thought that vitamin D may help in protecting against the progression of prostate cancer.

Cells in the prostate are able to take the inactive form of vitamin D and activate it. Some of the cancerous cells in the prostate lose this ability, but they still have receptors for vitamin D, which could mean that supplementing with vitamin D may help to slow the growth of cancerous cells.

Source: https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health-conditions/prostate-cancer/

I attend a seminar, they mention that testicle provides nutrients to prostate gland.  The following issues can prevent prostate gland growing bigger:

• testicle is removed from body
• sex activity regularly - eject sperm

Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks you very much for any suggestions

Interesting that you mentioned the link between testorone and prostate cancer, totally missed that. According to one source, one way to tackle the issue is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) or androgen suppression therapy. This therapy reduces levels of male hormones, called androgens, in the body, or to stop them from affecting prostate cancer cells.

Androgens stimulate prostate cancer cells to grow. The main androgens in the body are testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. Most of the androgens are made by the testicles, but the adrenal glands (glands that sit above your kidneys) also make a small amount. Lowering androgen levels or stopping them from getting into prostate cancer cells often makes prostate cancers shrink or grow more slowly for a time. But hormone therapy alone does not cure prostate cancer.
 
Source: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostatecancer/detailedguide/prostate-cancer-treating-hormone-therapy

As male gets older, his prostate gland must get bigger that is mentioned on seminar.  I would like to know on whether testicles is out of control to product more androgens than he required as male gets older or not.  If male can pay attention and keep health of his testicles, the prostate cancer could be prevented at the first place.

Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks you very much for any suggestions

Testosterone decreases, while estrogen increases in males as they age. So maybe less testosterone causes it

That's true, actually. Low testosterone levels have been related to a higher diagnosis of prostate cancer.

But is there a link?

As male gets older, would male produce androgens and estrogen at the same time?   

Referring to following statement, it seems that High levels of testosterone, a male sex hormone, may speed up or cause the development of prostate cancer. On the other hands, some doctor suggests to remove testicle from body to cure prostate cancer, so it imply that as male get older, the level of androgens get higher, would it be the main cause of prostate cancer?

Furthermore, testicle responds to produce androgens, so testicle seem out of control to produce too much androgens as male gets older, would it be correct?


"High levels of testosterone, a male sex hormone, may speed up or cause the development of prostate cancer. For instance, it is very uncommon for a man whose body no longer makes testosterone to develop prostate cancer. In addition, stopping the body’s production of testosterone, called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), often shrinks a prostate tumor."

http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention

Referring to following statement, LH is needed for the Leydig cells in the testes to make testosterone, and the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus, control the production of male hormones and sperm. does it imply as male gets older, the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus produce too much Luteinizing hormone (LH), would it be the root problem?

The pituitary gland and the hypothalamus, located at the base of the brain, control the production of male hormones and sperm. Luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) are the two important messenger hormones made by the pituitary gland that act on the testes.

LH is needed for the Leydig cells in the testes to make testosterone, the male sex hormone. Testosterone and FSH from the pituitary gland then act together on the seminiferous tubules (sperm-producing tubes) in the testes to make sperm.

https://www.andrologyaustralia.org/your-health/testosterone/

Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks, to everyone very much for any suggestions :>

Post Merge: 7 years ago

From another view's point, as male gets older, sex activity is less.  How do body handle the extra semen effectively within prostate gland? If semen does not remove from prostate gland regularly, would it cause prostate gland getting bigger?

Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks, to everyone very much for any suggestions :>

"The prostate gland is a male reproductive organ whose main function is to secrete prostate fluid, one of the components of semen. The muscles of the prostate gland also help propel this seminal fluid into the urethra during ejaculation ."
http://www.livescience.com/32751-what-does-the-prostate-gland-do.html

To reduce the size of the prostate gland, men usually take an 5-alpha reductase inhibitor that prevents testosterone from being converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), so it's not so much the testosterone by the byproduct of the testosterone conversion.

I would like to know on what play following roles for the Growth of prostate gland.

Control its growth : ?
Encourage the growth of cells : DHT?

Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks, to everyone very much for any suggestions :>


http://www.endocrineweb.com/endocrinology/overview-testes

Testosterone Production :
The hypothalamus and pituitary gland control how much testosterone the testes produce and secrete.  Defects in the pituitary and/or hypothalamus, such as pituitary tumors (which adversely affect the pituitary’s ability to function normally) and high prolactin levels (too much of the hormone causes a drop in testosterone levels)

Testicles : The testes secrete testosterone, which is necessary for proper physical development in boys. The testes (or testicles) are a pair of sperm-producing organs that maintain the health of the male reproductive system. The testes are known as gonads.

Prostate gland : A normal prostate weighs between 20 and 30 grams, while an enlarged prostate can weigh up to 100 grams. It is classified as being part of the exocrine system. This system secretes fluids for external functions of the body. The prostate secretes a milky substance that makes up around 20 to 30 percent of semen. It also has muscles that help to expel the semen during ejaculation.

http://www.kidneyurology.org/Library/Urologic_Health.php/Prostate_Enlargement.php

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia:
It is common for the prostate gland to become enlarged as a man ages. Doctors call this condition benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or benign prostatic hypertrophy.  As a man matures, the prostate goes through two main periods of growth. The first occurs early in puberty, when the prostate doubles in size. At around age 25, the gland begins to grow again. This second growth phase often results, years later, in BPH.
Though the prostate continues to grow during most of a man's life, the enlargement doesn't usually cause problems until late in life. BPH rarely causes symptoms before age 40, but more than half of men in their sixties and as many as 90 percent in their seventies and eighties have some symptoms of BPH.

Why BPH Occurs :
For centuries, it has been known that BPH occurs mainly in older men and that it doesn't develop in men whose testes were removed before puberty. For this reason, some researchers believe that factors related to aging and the testes may spur the development of BPH.  Throughout their lives, men produce both testosterone, an important male hormone, and small amounts of estrogen, a female hormone. As men age, the amount of active testosterone in the blood decreases, leaving a higher proportion of estrogen. Studies done on animals have suggested that BPH may occur because the higher amount of estrogen within the gland increases the activity of substances that promote cell growth.
Another theory focuses on dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a substance derived from testosterone in the prostate, which may help control its growth. Most animals lose their ability to produce DHT as they age. However, some research has indicated that even with a drop in the blood's testosterone level, older men continue to produce and accumulate high levels of DHT in the prostate. This accumulation of DHT may encourage the growth of cells. Scientists have also noted that men who do not produce DHT do not develop BPH.

There's a fine balance on how testosterone is made in the human body. Of all the concepts maps I found, this one hits the spot.



Luteinizing hormone produced in the anterior pituitary gland stimulates the release of testosterone in the testes. When testosterone gets too high, it sends a message to the brain to stop releases LH. When you take steroids (testosterone), your body stops producing testosterone on its own, that's why steroids make your balls shrink. Testosterone as stated earlier also gets converted into DHT, so DHT is the main culprit for the growth of the prostates because taking a DHT enzyme inhibitor slows the process down

On average, girls begin puberty around ages 10–11; boys around ages 11–12.
Girls usually complete puberty around ages 15–17, while boys usually complete puberty around ages 16–17.

Before puberty, the hypothalamus and pituitary are very sensitive to negative feedback signals from testosterone and estrogen.  During puberty, the sensitivity of the hypothalamus and pituitary to this negative feedback decreases to levels typically seen in adults.  This change allows an increase in the production of testosterone and estrogen that stimulates the development of secondary sex characteristics.

Question : After puberty, would hypothalamus and pituitary become very sensitive to negative feedback signals from testosterone and estrogen again?

Luteinizing hormone produced in the anterior pituitary gland stimulates the release of testosterone in the testes.  When testosterone gets too high, it sends a message to the brain to stop releases LH.

Question : I would like to confirm on whether testes play a major role on sending a message to the brain to stop releases LH or not.

Discussion : I would like to know on which following case cause Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia:
1) testes fails to sending a message to the brain to stop releases LH.
2) hypothalamus and pituitary is not sensitive to negative feedback signals from testosterone and estrogen.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks, to everyone very much for any suggestions :>

It's *very very* carefully regulated, so a small fluctuation of testosterone throws the whole system off the rails


Via the production of testosterone it acts as a signal


That's not it. Testosterone is still required by the body, being an adult over 50 doesn't mean you no longer need it. All men produce DHT in the prostate gland. The enzyme 5α-reductase synthesizes DHT from testosterone in the prostate, testes, hair follicles, and adrenal glands. Relative to testosterone, DHT is much more potent as an agonist of the androgen receptor. It was once believed that DHT played a role in the development and worsening of benign prostatic hyperplasia, as well as prostate cancer, but this has largely been disproven (source; http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=746416)

On the other hand, some studies suggest that administering exogenous testosterone is not associated with a significant increase in the risk of BPH symptoms, so the role of testosterone in prostate cancer and BPH is still unclear.

Testosterone promotes prostate cell proliferation, but relatively low levels of serum testosterone are found in patients with BPH. One small study has shown that medical castration lowers the serum and prostate hormone levels unevenly, having less effect on testosterone and dihydrotestosterone levels in the prostate.

In 2008, Gat et al. published evidence that BPH is caused by failure in the spermatic venous drainage system resulting in increased hydrostatic pressure and local testosterone levels elevated more than 100 fold above serum levels. If confirmed, this mechanism explains why serum androgen levels do not seem to correlate with BPH and why giving exogenous testosterone would not make much difference.