Cancer strikes an active Vilnius resident unexpectedly: even at an advanced stage, there were no symptoms

The cancer was diagnosed after a prevention program.

The man still remembers how the disease was diagnosed. According to the interlocutor, the investigation was always “on the brink”. After participating in an early diagnosis program for prostate cancer, the doctors decided to send the man for more detailed tests at the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

At the hospital, tests revealed advanced prostate cancer.

“It was not a great joy when I heard the diagnosis. I don’t think anyone likes that. But I didn’t feel anything, I was active all the time. At that time I ran a kilometer, then I swam so much, my shirt was wet when I left the gym, ”Juozas recalled.

The patient was monitored by doctors for a while, then received radiotherapy, cryotherapy – cold treatment and medical treatment with innovative drugs.

“The prostate was ‘extinct’, the foci were still in the lymph nodes, but now it is ‘clean’. He did a CT scan a month and a half ago, the results are good ”, said the interlocutor.

Even after the diagnosis, the 74-year-old did not forget his hobby: he still played sports and ran.

“I do not feel any symptoms. I live an almost full life with small details, although of course I cannot say that everything is perfectly fine, I am constantly taking medication. I think I am a happy baby. But, I think with the help of the doctors And with God’s help, I’ll get away with it, ”Juozas said.

Now the man thanks the doctors and urges everyone to remember one important rule: you will not live forever, so use all the gifts of life.

“I think we must understand one thing: man is not eternal and we must take advantage of all the opportunities that Mr. God offers us and what doctors offer us. Play sports, live a full life, not self-destruct, because that way you will only destroy yourself. yourself and there will be nothing good. And I am very grateful to all the doctors, – said Juozas.

– I have not found any doctor that journalists write about. All very well and professional. You get full help when you need it, both from the clinic and the hospital. “

There may be no symptoms

Head of the Department of Oncourology at IMI dr. Albert Ulys noted that generally a man does not feel any symptoms during the early stages of prostate cancer. And if they do, they are very small. Men typically complain of urinary incontinence or some form of toilet before being diagnosed.

“I noticed that people with an established diagnosis meet in our interdisciplinary commission. Today, 10 patients arrived in five weeks with metastatic prostate cancer. Almost all had bone metastases, two had urinary retention and kidney failure. It means that people only twist when they can no longer position themselves in any place due to pain, urinary retention. If you have any signs, urinary disorders, pain in the perineum, contact your GP “, urged the doctor.

Therefore, it is very important to seek help even when you feel nothing and to participate in preventive screening programs that are completely free and painless.

“The most common symptom of this disease that men experience is urinary incontinence. Wives can also be heard saying that a man usually goes to the bathroom at night to urinate. In this case, you really need to go to the doctor to have your prostate checked. However, you don’t need to decide right away that it is necessarily cancer. There are several disorders of the prostate; This can be a sign of inflammation, an enlarged prostate. Prostate cancer represents a small percentage, “said associate professor Delfi, director of the Urology Center of Clinicas Santara. Arūnas Želvys.

Oncological diseases of mother or sister are also important

According to dr. R. Ulio, it is very important to consider if any member of the family has not had an oncological disease. It turns out that you shouldn’t just pay attention to prostate cancer.

“It is important to take into account family history, the further we see it. If the father, the brother did not have prostate cancer, or the mother, the sister did not have ovarian cancer. This is very important, “said Dr. A. Ulys.

That is why a preventive diagnosis program is being carried out for those whose family has already had someone sick. And in some cases, upon arrival with the referral, geneticists are consulted to determine if there is a high susceptibility to cancer.

The doctor warns that men tend to be more restrained than women and it is rare that someone who is willing to go to the family doctor, the urologist for a check-up, is examined.

“But everyone should think about it, because the range of diagnoses is very wide,” said Dr. A. Ulys.

The preventive screening program for prostate cancer in Lithuania begins at age 45. However, if there have already been cases of this disease in the family, a 26-year-old may even see a family doctor for a referral to an oncologist.

“The prevention program now is perfect, considering what your PSA is and how old you are. If the PSA does not exceed one unit, and for a 50-imt person, the next test may be for several years. If it is above unity, the inspection should be done next year. Again, the size of the PSA depends largely on all kinds of other parameters: inflammation, age, the size of the prostate itself, “said the interviewee.

There is no equal treatment

Like dr. R. Ulys, there is no one-size-fits-all treatment, it is applied to each patient individually. According to the interlocutor, in each case an interdisciplinary commission is convened, which includes a radiologist, radiotherapist, chemotherapist. Everyone works together to decide the best way to fight a patient’s cancer disease.

The interviewee is glad that modern diagnostics are already available in Lithuania, which are mainly used for scientific purposes only.

“We already have molecular diagnoses. These tests help determine how much the cancer can affect health, as well as diagnose exactly where it is and what is its malignancy, the doctor said.

– We perform MRI images on almost all patients prior to a biopsy, along with an ultrasound to see what is locating the cancer. If it is not suitable for conventional biopsy, we also perform primary navigations with magnet navigation. With a diagnosis such that the prostate would be perforated 12-16 times anywhere, we have practically passed the stage. “

According to dr. R. Ulio, the prostate is sometimes said to be the second heart. So when it comes to prevention, what works for the first heart also works for the second.

“The best prevention is an active life, avoiding bad fats. There is no panacea. But it has been observed that obesity and excessive alcohol consumption actually increase the incidence of prostate cancer, “said the doctor.

Inspection results are even worse than before

Deputy Director of Science and Development, Acting Director prof. Dr. Sonata Jarmalaitė said that prostate cancer is one of the most common cancer diseases in men. It affects 1.3 million men worldwide each year and more than 2,000 in Lithuania.

“We lose 500 every year. But now we look at this disease through the prism of a pandemic and the picture becomes even sadder. We review the statistics in IMI because we do not have totals. Statistics have shown that patients often come to us after have done the primary tests and this is a PSA test. First of all, during the quarantine, the prevention program was not carried out at all, so no people came. Now, only a third of the people who came to us before they could participate, – said the teacher.

– We perform other biopsies, for primary cases. Their number was reduced from 30 to 50 times. It means that men with suspected illness do not come to our hospital. And when it comes, treatment is already difficult. Otherwise, prostate cancer is a well-controlled disease, but when neglected, it is difficult to treat and survival is very limited. Prevention programs are already in place, don’t delay, check. “

Of all the countries in the European Union, prostate cancer is the most common in Lithuania.