Can Women Get Prostate Cancer?
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Contrary to what one might think, prostate cancer in women does exist. However, it remains very rarely seen, with only a handful of published cases to date. A more accurate name for female prostate cancer would be female urethral adenocarcinoma found in the Skene’s glands, or cancer of the Skene’s glands.
Do women have a prostate?
While the Skene’s glands function differently from the prostate, they are known as the “female version” of the prostate gland. This idea arose as both glands develop from the same base stem cells found in embryos.
These glands are very small and are found next to the end of the female urethra. They generate fluids that keep the urethra lubricated, and are also thought to produce some of the female ejaculate and lubrication involved in sex.
What is female prostate cancer like?
Notably, cancer found in the Skene’s glands also increases levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), an important marker of prostate cancer progression. On the microscopic level, some cases were also found to be quite similar to the male prostate cancer cases, with a Gleason score of 4+4, which classifies prostate cancer cases based on patterns and arrangements of cells seen at the microscopic level.
While female prostate cancer is known to be aggressive with a poor prognosis, women are more likely to face issues with cysts or abscesses forming at the Skene’s glands, rather than cancer.
The most common symptom seen so far has been blood in the urine or from the vagina. Other symptoms that accompany female prostate cancer include the narrowing or formation of pockets or sacs along the urethra, which can lead to issues with infections or difficulty urinating. However, as female prostate cancer is very rare, these symptoms are more likely to be mistaken for other issues with the urinary tract or reproductive system.
Due to its rarity, there is still no consensus regarding the best treatment for female prostate cancer. Possible treatment options include surgical removal of the tumor, combined with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In recent years, doctors have also begun to consider androgen deprivation therapy as a possible option.
Although female prostate cancer occurs in the Skene’s glands rather than the prostate, it does share some similarity with prostate cancer in males. While rare, it is still aggressive, and more cases have to be reported before a consensus can be reached on the best treatment for the disease.
