Prostate cancer treatment options and side effects

There are several different types of treatment available for patients who have prostate cancer.  There are several standard treatments that are currently used and there are also some prostate cancer treatment options that are in clinical trial right now.  Clinical trial treatments or research study that meant to help improve either current treatments or gather more information on possible prostate cancer new treatments.  With prostate cancer new treatments, if a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, it is not uncommon for the prostate cancer new treatment to become the standard treatment.

Patients may consider taking part in a political trial.  There are some trials that are open only to patients with not started any prostate cancer treatment yet.  But deciding on the best Cancer prostate treatment, it is also a good idea to go what the entire spectrum of choices you have are.

What are my prostate cancer treatment options if I was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer? 

A lot of prostate cancer treatment options will really depend on the prostate cancer and whether the tumor has spread.  If the tumor is still inside the prostate, it is possible that radiation therapy as well as a surgical procedure named radical prostatectomy are commonly used.  Another person can't you treatment option is the wait and see method.  Nothing is done about the tumor and doctors wait to see what will happen.  Sometimes this is the best option when there is concern if intervention may actually worsen the condition.

In general, any prostate tumors that have gotten beyond the edge of the prostate cannot be cured with radiation treatment or surgery.  The only thing that can help at this point are hormones that basically slow down the cancers growth.

What is radical prostatectomy?

This prostate cancer treatment option is a surgery that removes the entire prostate gland as well as the nearby lymph nodes.  Typically, there is no need to go under complete anesthesia.  The general as an aesthetic is used.  What's the prostate gland is taken out, a catheter is run through the penis into the bladder until the area heals.

Let's look at the risks and benefits of radical prostatectomy.

For men who were in good health, surgery is typically quick and recovery is fast.  A hospital visit is usually two to three days with a catheter in place for two to three weeks.  The average male is able to get back to work within a month.  Usually there is no severe pain with this type of surgical procedure.  Blatter control hasn't been known to come back with him a few weeks to several months after the surgery.

The main benefit of this type of prostate cancer treatment if that is the most deafening.  What this means is that all of the cancer is removed during a surgical procedure, the odds are great that you are cured.  The other benefit this provides this information to your doctor helping him know how advanced the cancer is, or was since the cancer and lymph nodes are taken out.

There are risks and complications.  During the surgery is quite possible that you lose a lot of blood.  It is a good idea to save about two units of your own blood in the event that a transfusion is needed.  Some of the main risks are incontinence, as well as impotence.  Statistically, a small percentage of men experiencing severe and confidence after a radical prostatectomy procedure.  It is also found that approximately 35% of males may have a little accidental leakage of urine during heavy lifting coffee and/or laughing.

With regard to impotence, a great portion of this depends on the surgeon.  If the surgeon is able to remove the tumor out affecting the nerves in the tense is greatly decreased.  Sometimes, depending on the actual size of the tumor this is not possible.  Other factors to consider are your age and your degree of sexual activity before the surgery.  Those bells on their 50 years old are very likely to get back their previous sexual function.  At age is over 70 is highly likely that you will loose sexual function.  The upside is that the nerves causing the feeling in your penis and orgasm remain the same.  The only problem is that you are not able to get an erection for sexual intercourse.  There are methods and options that can help maintain an erect penis however.

Now let's take a look at radiation therapy as a prostate cancer treatment option.

Currently there existed the two types of radiation treatment for prostate cancer.  The first type known as external beam radiation therapy is given moment she and very similar to an x-ray machine.  The second type of radiation therapy is called radioactive pellets.  These pellets are injected into the prostate gland.  Both methods of radiation therapy are equally effective.

If you opt for machine therapy, this cancer radiation treatment usually takes five days a week with two days off.  The total.  Treatment last seven weeks.  This is rather time-consuming but as a more gradual process.  Because it is a gradual process anesthesia is not needed.

Also with this treatment is much milder than the side effects that come with seed therapy.  The upside to radiation seed therapy is that the procedure is done in one hospital visit.  With this radiation, you are under anesthesia for a few minutes but it is still considered outpatient treatment.  Because of the higher doses of radiation it is not uncommon to feel discomfort after this type of prostate cancer treatment.

Studies have shown that after 10 years of treatment, the successful cure rates are about the same between radiation therapy treatment and radical prostatectomy.  The benefits of radiation therapy for prostate cancer is that there are no surgical risks and no risk of bleeding.  You also don't have to stay in the hospital for healing time.  And, curing or recovery is fast.  The other benefits are that daily activities can resume rather quickly and incontinence is very rare afterward.  What you do give up if you go with radiation therapy is the higher chance of cure rates as with radical mastectomy procedures.

Now let's take a look at watchful waiting.

It is a common occurrence that many prostate cancers are very small and actually grow rather slowly.  Because many men have slow-growing tumors, the life expectancy of a man may be shorter than the actual need for having the prostate Cancer dealt with.  As well, some men just don't want to have treatment because it's their opinion that the benefits do not outweigh the treatment options.  With watchful waiting nothing is done but frequent visits to the doctor are necessary to make sure that nothing changes with the condition.  If the cancer does not grow that you do nothing.  However, should the cancers grow start to accelerate hormone therapy may be an option.

One of the risks regarding watchful waiting is that it may be hard for a small tumor to be monitored.  The doctor can only get clues and indications about the tumor by checking prostates specific antigens levels and taking a look at biopsy tissue.

What about hormone therapy as a prostate cancer treatment option?

The strategy with hormone therapy is to lower the level of androgens in the body.  These hormones are created mostly in the testicles.  Controlling these antigens may control the growth of a prostate tumor.  Hormone therapy in the form of shots are often given to the testicles and sometimes the testicles are surgically removed.  It is typical for prostate cancer to shrink once testosterone is out of your body.  This type of treatment is typically use for those who have had cancer that has spread beyond the prostate gland.  Usually prostate cancer will respond to one or two years of therapy but sometimes the tumors will start to grow again.  If tumor starts a girl again, the only treatment option at this point is to control the symptoms.  No treatment can cure prostate cancer after hormone therapy stops working.

There are also alternative prostate cancer treatment options.  Some of these are natural prostate cancer treatment therapy.  You may discuss these with your doctor.  However, prostate cancer and treatment therapy may not be something your doctor wants to discuss with regard to natural or alternative prostate cancer treatment options.

Next steps after prostate cancer treatment.

Your blood should be checked at least every six months for prostate specific antigen and this should happen for the least five years.  Once you clear for five years once a year is fine.  Any rise in PSA levels usually means that the cancer has returned.  Additionally, rectal examinations should be done at least once a year.

It is important to get regular prostate exams and if you are looking for more information about prostate cancer and prostate cancer treatment options it is important to start with your family doctor.  He or she knows your history and can help you along the path.  You may also be referred to an oncologist and or radio therapist and urologist.  Many local hospitals also have cancer treatment centers we can gather more information and join cancer support groups.