What comes to mind when you hear the words ‘prostate cancer’? It’s very likely that you started to think about how men deal with the disease. However, should prostate cancer be a concern for women too? While there’s a lot more research needed, it turns out that the answer is “yes”. Let’s look at what you need to know about prostate cancer in women.
Technically, women don’t have a prostate gland the way that men do. Women have “Skene’s glands” or “Skene’s ducts”, which are small glands and ducts at the front of the vagina.
As researchers established some similarities between these structures and male prostate glands, they became more popularly known as female prostate glands. One noteworthy similarity is the presence of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and PSA phosphatase (PSAP) in the Skene’s glands.
The production of PSA and PSAP is usually used as an indicator of prostate cancer in men as well as breast cancer in women. It’s possible that the same can be said of female prostate cancer but there have been too few cases to confirm that.
Again, there are have been so few cases of this illness that all the symptoms haven’t been identified. For the most part, you should be concerned about sudden changes in your menstrual cycle, an unusual discharge, blood in the urine, bleeding from the urethra, difficulty passing urine, and feeling pressure behind the pubic bone.
Some people have also noted pain when having sexual intercourse. The general guide is that you should contact your doctor if you have any concerns about changes in your reproductive or urinary systems. While the issue may not be the Skene’s structures, it could be another illness or infection that needs to be addressed.
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Research still continues to find out all the relevant information for this disease. So far one possible risk factor has been identified. People who have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) may be more likely to
develop female prostate cancer.
The increased risk may be linked to the larger production of male hormones, the higher levels of PSA, as well as the fact that the Skene’s structures are larger. It’s true that an official link has not been established but it’s worth checking out if you’re dealing with PCOS.
Though the disease has symptoms, most people only notice when sex or urination has become painful. At that point, your cancer might be at an advanced stage.
To come to a diagnosis, your doctor would do a thorough physical exam as well as blood and imaging tests. Since female prostate cancer usually produces tumors of varying sizes, those can be biopsied as well.
Once the diagnosis has been confirmed, the treatment is similar to that of other types of reproductive cancer. Depending on the stage of your cancer, your doctor may recommend radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
In cases where the growths are significant, you’ll likely need to do surgery to remove them. This approach may mean removing certain organs such as the Skene’s glands, ovaries, uterus, or the entire reproductive system.
According to the research that’s available, this type of cancer is rare. However, it can’t hurt to know what to look out for if it happens to you.
Of course, experiencing the symptoms listed here may not mean that you have female prostate cancer but you should never ignore them. Even a small change in your body could be a sign that something is going wrong.
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