Here?s a terrifying thought: Right now, you could have an STD in your system that?s raising your risk for prostate cancer, and you don?t even know it.
The culprit? Trichomoniasis, an extremely common STD?caused by the parasite trichomonas vaginalis. It often goes unnoticed in the body due its lack of symptoms.?Previous research has found a correlation between having the STD and developing prostate cancer, and now new data in the journal PLoS Pathogens suggests a tangible explanation behind the connection.
Moral of the story: Get tested.
Here?s what you need to know about this nasty STD. (Have more urgent sex questions you need answered? Ask the Sex M.D.)
Are there symptoms?
Sometimes. You might experience itching or irritation inside your penis, discharge from your urethra, or a burning sensation after you pee or ejaculate. But out of the 3.7 million Americans who currently have the STD, only about 30 percent develop any symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Should I be concerned?
If you get the STD, it?s not going to go away unless you seek treatment. And consider this: Aside from that prostate cancer risk, trichomoniasis also causes genital inflammation, making it easier for you to get infected with the HIV virus, says John Alderete, Ph.D., lead study author and professor at Washington State University?s School of Molecular Biosciences.
Is it treatable?
Thankfully, yes. Since trichomoniasis is undetectable via blood test, your doctor will have to swab your urethra and take a culture sample to look for it, says Alderete. (Even if you don?t show any symptoms, request to get tested during your next checkup.) If you have the STD, your doc will put you on a prescription antibiotic. (To see the other common diseases you need to screen for?and where they usually lurk?check out America?s Most STD-Infested States.)
So where does my prostate come into play?
For a while now, epidemiologists have been looking for some type of bug that leads to prostate cancer. They tested all the usual suspects?chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, HPV, herpes?and none correlated, Alderete says. But once they examined trichomoniasis, they found a link: Infected men have a 40 percent greater chance of developing prostate cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.
And just how can an STD put me at risk for cancer?
Alderete and his colleagues hypothesize that trichomoniasis could contribute to prostate cancer via inflammation, or that it causes a chain reaction that leads to the creation of prostate cancer. Here?s how it works: ?In the body, there are these proteins called cytokines, and they are part of your immune system,? says Alderete. As soon as the STD gets into your system and lands on your cells, the parasite tells the cells it needs to respond. Your body switches into defense mode, bringing in other immune cells and creating new proteins. This interaction ignites a landslide of events?one protein turns on another. Eventually the protein HMGA1 becomes active, which in past research has been over-expressed in prostate cancers. That?s why researchers make the link, Alderete says. (Prevent against man?s biggest killer these 8 Ways to Cancer-Proof Your Body.)
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Source: http://www.healthfitness4men.com/the-std-that-leads-to-prostate-cancer/
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