Archive for November, 2009

Prostate Cancer Treatment Options

Are you worried over treatment for prostate cancer? Don’t worry. With medical improvements, there are lots of options for you to go for the treatment. However, you need to be well versed with some facts before you finalize your treatment option. The treatment for prostate cancer depends largely on the diagnosis and the spread of the tumor. For those cases where the tumors are still in the premises of the prostate, the radiation therapy is the best curs. It destroys the infected cells and can refine the whole system without pain. In some cases, it is associated with surgery that is called radical prostatectomy which is the most popular and well accepted treatment.

However, it should be kept in mind that doctors do not suggest nor it is recommended to go for surgery unless the tumor is big enough. These surgeries are not a good option when the prostate cancer is in the initial stage. Stopping the growth of tumor when detected at early stage is the best option. Some other options are:

a) Radical prostatectomy
b) Radiation therapy
c) Watchful waiting
d) Hormone therapy
e) Prostate cancer treatment

But there lies a catch in every step or option we take. So there are some risks involved in the treatment for prostate cancer – Advantages and risk involved in radical prostatectomy:

a) There are lower levels of risk if you have a sound health.
b) You might be hospitalized for 2 to 3 days
c) There are reduced changes of you getting impotent.
d) Less complications and blood loss.
e) Incontinence and less control over bladder.
f) Possibility of sexual dysfunction.

Some risks and benefits involved in radiation therapy:

a) The whole medication process takes more than 7 weeks.
b) No use of anesthesia.
c) Mild side effects like rectal bleeding, diarrhea, urinary bleeding.
d) Feeling of discomfort after treatment.
e) Higher chances of getting impotent.
f) Feeling tiredness and loss of stamina.
g) Burning sensation still persists while urinating.
h) Chances are there that the cancer can return after few years of this treatment.

It highly recommended that you leave your doctor to take his course. They consider a lot of factors before undergoing treatment for prostate cancer and for your betterment and comfort.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=JS_Alexa

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Prostate Cancer Surgery – Robotic Keyhole Surgery – Higher Risks – New Study! – Nurse’s Report!

The most popular prostate cancer surgery is robotic keyhole surgery, also called a laparoscopic surgery. This surgery has been performed on thousands of men. It has become popular because it is minimally invasive – not requiring large incisions and uses the da Vinci robotics system. Doctors use robotic arms and special instruments while performing the surgery. In fact, keyhole surgery uses a small incision and that’s why it’s called a keyhole surgery. There are other types of keyhole surgeries on other parts of the body as well.

It has become the prostate cancer surgery of choice for many because of the smaller incision meaning a day less in the hospital and a shorter recovery time.

Now a new study involving 9000 men with prostate cancer show there are risks that hadn’t been addressed before. Some with traditional prostate surgery and some with robotic keyhole surgery.

The men who had the robotic keyhole surgery rather than the traditional surgery were more likely to report complications in the first 30 days after their surgery. In addition, later after about 18 months or so they reported more urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. This comes as a surprise to many. However, anyone considering this surgery must get all the facts.

If you are considering the surgery, make sure to discuss all the risks and complications with your prostate cancer doctor and surgeon before you have this surgery. Make sure to ask your doctor about this study also.

One has to be careful that this surgery isn’t hyped up from advertisements and from others who aren’t aware of all the risks. Make sure to also to ask your doctor or surgeon; whoever is performing your surgery, how many of these surgeries they have done. Ask how many of their patients had increased incontinence and/or impotence or erectile dysfunction following the surgery in the first 30 days and even 18 months later. Maybe some patients or the doctor didn’t recognize the new health problems were directly related to the keyhole surgery.

Alternatives to the risks of robotic keyhole surgery to remove a cancerous prostate are radiation treatment or therapy or watchful waiting. Radiation therapy comes with its own problems. Many choose watchful waiting and live long lives free of problems caused by surgery. Survival rates are good. Get two or three opinions if you’ve been diagnosed. You may get different opinions from different doctors.

Generally, prostate cancer is slow growing but you need to check with your doctor and find out exactly what type you have and if it’s slow or fast-growing. Find out everything you can about prostate cancer and traditional and alternative treatment options before making any decisions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Hecker

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Modern Tests Can Tell You About Prostate Cancer Recurrence

Prostate cancer recurrence is a very rare phenomenon as early detection helps your doctor to choose the treatment option that provides complete cure. However, if the disease spreads outside the prostate glands then there are chances that recurrence may take place. Nevertheless, there is no cause of panic as your doctor can cure the recurrence by removing the prostate glands.

However, you can use the latest preventive measures after the completion of the treatment to ensure that prostate cancer recurrence does not take place. One of the best methods of preventing the return of the disease is to use vaccination. It may sound odd but the fact is that this vaccine contains substances, which has the capability of breaking down the cancer cells and stopping the recurrence.

Observation shows that the disease returns within the five years post treatment period. Therefore, if you feel that the symptoms are returning you can take the PSA test as an indicator. This is a sure shot test as the antigen level remains low in normal condition but shoots up when cancerous cells are present in the blood.

Therefore, you should maintain your regular test schedule as advised by your doctor as this would ward off all doubts about the return of the disease. It mostly happens that a person, who has contacted this disease and has undergone treatment, always has a doubt lingering in his mind that the disease may return.

Therefore, when a patient suffers from the normal aches and pains he feels that the disease is recurring. Thus, if you want to live a life free from doubt and tension in spite of suffering from this disease you should take the vaccination as per the schedule prepared by your doctor. Moreover, prostate cancer test is also mandatory for every person suffering from this disease.

Nevertheless, if the prostate cancer test shows steady rise in PSA in spite of all the precautions then it is a matter of concern, as it is an indication about the presence of cancer cells in the body. However, cure in the form of hormonal therapy is available to eliminate the problem and stop the disease from recurring.

Researchers in this field have developed many new type of prostate cancer test that help in predicting about the return of the disease. These tests are helpful for both you and your doctor as you can get reliable result from the tests. Moreover, your doctor can take immediate action and choose the best method of treatment that will eradicate the problem.

You can also stop the return of the disease if you strictly follow all the restrictions imposed by your doctor after the completion of the treatment. You should also bring a change in your lifestyle by developing the habit of regular exercise. Moreover, you should change your eating habits and take a diet containing minimum protein if you want to avoid prostate cancer recurrence.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_Kelsey

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The Latest Treatment For Prostate Cancer – Increasing Your Chances of Survival

Prostate cancer is only found in men and it effects the male reproductive system, mainly for men over 50. With prostate cancer the cells spread from the prostate to other parts of the body. It is one of the most common cancers in men. There are many different treatments for prostate cancer. In this article I will point out some of the most common and latest treatments.

The general treatments for all types of cancers are chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, but there are also many other treatment options for prostate cancer that are not so widely known and used. The more people know about cancer treatments the better their chances will be to beat cancer. So every bit of information is very useful and important.
# Proton therapy – This treatment is a form of radiation therapy, but like the name suggests proton rays are used to eliminate cancer cells.
# Cryosurgery (therapy) – It basically is the use of extreme cold to destroy cancer cells. Cryosurgery uses the destructive force of the cold on cells.
# Prostatectomy – This is a very unpleasant type of treatment and it involves the removal of the prostate gland with surgery. This type of treatment is suggested for men under 70 years old.
# Hormonal therapy – This therapy is used to stop the production of testosterone hormone and it is mainly used with other treatments such as radiation and surgery.
# High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) – The name of the treatment says everything itself. HIFU is used to eliminate cancer cells.

There of course are many other natural and alternative treatments, that are not so widely known. Every man must also be familiar with alternative treatments, because most of the time they are much more effective than conventional treatments. The best results are often gotten, with the use of both alternative and conventional treatments together.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jaan_Tamm
Technorati Tag: Prostate Cancer

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Hormonal Therapy Combined With Prostate Cancer Drug Provides Quicker Relief

Medical researchers have found prostate cancer drug that can cure the disease without undergoing surgery or chemotherapy. However, these drugs prove effective in combination with hormonal therapy and can easily restrict the progress of the disease. Different types of prescription medications have given positive results and restricted recurrence of the disease.

Prostate cancer drug has proven results of curing the disease in the advanced stage that is the metastatic stage, commonly known as the fourth stage of the disease. This latest method of curing the disease is a great relief for the patients, as they do not have to bear the pain and suffering of operation or chemotherapy.

Obviously, you will want to know about the working system of the medicine consumed orally in the form of pill or taken in the form of injection. The medication helps in controlling testosterone level that is it reduces the level of testosterone. This helps in controlling the growth and spread of the malignant tumor as testosterone helps in the growth of the tumor.

This hormonal manipulation process can also cure patients who are suffering from advanced stage of prostate cancer. There are other types of medications used for blocking the androgen and blocking the attachment of the testosterone with the prostate cells. This way the blockade does not allow the testosterone to reach the prostate, which in turn deprives the tumor from receiving the supply of testosterone and curbs its progress.

However, whatever type of treatment you adopt for curing prostate tumor you should maintain the regular schedule of prostate cancer tests so that you can check the progress of the recovery and take prompt action if there is any recurrence. There are many types of tests, which helps in checking the recovery progress after the completion of the treatment.

If you are fifty years or above, you should not neglect prostate cancer tests, as this is the stage when the chances of developing the problem is high. Moreover, testing will also bring forth any kind of other problem that may develop in your prostate. As in this age, there are chances of other types of problems developing in the prostate, which requires medical attention.

Many types of tests are there that a doctor uses, to test if a patient has prostate tumor or not. However, the main prostate cancer tests those doctors usually adopt for testing the prostate problems are urine test, PSA test, rectal examination done digitally, urine flow rate test, IPSS test, and biopsy. This helps them to derive the actual result and diagnose the real problem from which the patient is suffering.

Therefore, if doctors diagnose you with prostate cancer, you do not have to panic. Nor do you have to lose hope or fear about the sufferings of chemotherapy or surgery, as nowadays you can easily cure this slow progressing growth with the help of prostate cancer drug along with hormonal therapy and enjoy a long life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_Kelsey
Technorati Tag: Prostate Cancer

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