Get Well Soon: If detected early, surgery can help cure prostate cancer

My father had prostate cancer and succumbed to it. Am I likely to develop it? What are the ways to screen it and the treatment options?- Ashokan, Nanganallur. 

It is important to spot it at the earliest and know of the risk factors like family history which increases the risk by three to six times. While symptoms show up in the form of urine output, flow and frequency, a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) level test can detect it early. When detected early and when the cancer is confined to the prostate, a surgery - either a radical prostatectomy or a robotassisted procedure - can help cure it. In high risk localised cases, hormone therapy or radiation can work. - Dr Muruganandham K, Senior Urologist

I develop pigmentation problems very often and I suspect it is due to sun exposure. Kindly suggest remedies. - Sudha, Chennai. 

If it is due to sun exposure, then one needs to go for sun screen lotion and apply it thrice a day at an interval of three hours. Most of us apply it just once in the morning before stepping out and it gets washed off with sweat, leaving the skin exposed to the sun for the rest of the day. However, consult a specialist to ensure if sunlight is the actual cause. -Dr Maya Vedamurthy, consultant dermatologist, RSV Skin and Laser Centre.