Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Published on Apr 08 2010, in the categories: Therapies, surgery, symptoms
“Cancer” is the term used in defining the abnormal condition of the rapid and uncontrollable growth of the body cells and the apparition of the cancerous cells.
The prostate cancer is one type of cancer affecting the prostate gland, found only in the male reproductive system; this organ is located near the rectum, below the bladder, it surrounds the urethra and is responsible with the making of the seminal fluid.
Without any early symptoms, the recently formed tumor can only be discovered with the help of the recommended screening tests and if the existence of the tumor is confirmed but it is left untreated then the cancerous cells tend to multiply abnormally and the cancer will eventually spread to the surrounding areas of the prostate as the rectum, bones, lymph nodes in the groin area or the seminal vesicle; this is the stage known as the metastatic cancer, when the cancerous prostate cells are being transported through the bloodstream and the lymphatic system to other internal regions of the body where they grow other tumors.
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
Usually the results of the treatments may vary according to how far spread is the cancer in the organism and this spreading process could be done by invading the neighboring tissues, spreading through the lymph vessels and lymph nodes or by traveling through the bloodstream to far away tissues.
With the Gleason scale or the staging process, the doctors will determine how advanced is your cancer, the tumor usually being organ-confined, locally advanced or metastatic, the advanced form of prostate cancer.
In this stage, the symptoms tend to appear and their aggressiveness will most likely affect the peaceful life of the patient; the most common prostate cancer symptoms are frequent urination or weak urine stream, burning or pain while urinating, blood in urine or semen, painful ejaculation, back pains, stiffness, ache; in the its advanced forms the cancer may cause bone pain, it could also spread fast to the lungs and liver causing coughing and chest pains, yellow skin and pain in the abdomen. If the spinal cord is affected by the prostate cancer it can cause a compression of the spine, resulting in weakness or fecal and urinary incontinence.
Treatments are sure available but unfortunately the results are less effective if the prostate cancer is metastatic. Just to give a small example: surgery, commonly known as prostatectomy, usually has little worth in treating the advanced forms of prostate cancer if the cancerous cells already reached the surrounding areas of the prostate gland.
I shall also enlist the other therapy forms used as treatments to prevent the growth of the tumor or to increase the life expectancies for those diagnosed with metastatic cancer: radiation therapy, done by damaging the DNA of the cancerous cells with implanted radioactive seeds or an external beam radiation, cryotherapy or the freezing of the prostate, chemotherapy, hormone therapy also known as androgen deprivation therapy, limiting the release of the testosterone in the organism.
There is also a procedure known as watchful waiting or expectant management defined as the monitoring of the evolution of the prostate cancer without prescribing any treatment to it and based only on maintaining a strict nutritional diet.
The metastatic cancer is something to be feared of because it is a rough way of showing just how vulnerable is the human body and how little does the medical community know about it and the way it’s functioning.
The keyword to avoid this rough disease is prevention and to always seek for a doctor’s counseling.
The prostate cancer is one type of cancer affecting the prostate gland, found only in the male reproductive system; this organ is located near the rectum, below the bladder, it surrounds the urethra and is responsible with the making of the seminal fluid.
Without any early symptoms, the recently formed tumor can only be discovered with the help of the recommended screening tests and if the existence of the tumor is confirmed but it is left untreated then the cancerous cells tend to multiply abnormally and the cancer will eventually spread to the surrounding areas of the prostate as the rectum, bones, lymph nodes in the groin area or the seminal vesicle; this is the stage known as the metastatic cancer, when the cancerous prostate cells are being transported through the bloodstream and the lymphatic system to other internal regions of the body where they grow other tumors.
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
Usually the results of the treatments may vary according to how far spread is the cancer in the organism and this spreading process could be done by invading the neighboring tissues, spreading through the lymph vessels and lymph nodes or by traveling through the bloodstream to far away tissues.
With the Gleason scale or the staging process, the doctors will determine how advanced is your cancer, the tumor usually being organ-confined, locally advanced or metastatic, the advanced form of prostate cancer.
In this stage, the symptoms tend to appear and their aggressiveness will most likely affect the peaceful life of the patient; the most common prostate cancer symptoms are frequent urination or weak urine stream, burning or pain while urinating, blood in urine or semen, painful ejaculation, back pains, stiffness, ache; in the its advanced forms the cancer may cause bone pain, it could also spread fast to the lungs and liver causing coughing and chest pains, yellow skin and pain in the abdomen. If the spinal cord is affected by the prostate cancer it can cause a compression of the spine, resulting in weakness or fecal and urinary incontinence.
Treatments are sure available but unfortunately the results are less effective if the prostate cancer is metastatic. Just to give a small example: surgery, commonly known as prostatectomy, usually has little worth in treating the advanced forms of prostate cancer if the cancerous cells already reached the surrounding areas of the prostate gland.
I shall also enlist the other therapy forms used as treatments to prevent the growth of the tumor or to increase the life expectancies for those diagnosed with metastatic cancer: radiation therapy, done by damaging the DNA of the cancerous cells with implanted radioactive seeds or an external beam radiation, cryotherapy or the freezing of the prostate, chemotherapy, hormone therapy also known as androgen deprivation therapy, limiting the release of the testosterone in the organism.
There is also a procedure known as watchful waiting or expectant management defined as the monitoring of the evolution of the prostate cancer without prescribing any treatment to it and based only on maintaining a strict nutritional diet.
The metastatic cancer is something to be feared of because it is a rough way of showing just how vulnerable is the human body and how little does the medical community know about it and the way it’s functioning.
The keyword to avoid this rough disease is prevention and to always seek for a doctor’s counseling.
Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
Published on Mar 29 2010, in the categories: Heredity Issues, Signs of disease, Test Info, Useful Info, Ways of detection, prevention, support, surgery, symptoms
The prostate cancer is a common type of cancer affecting a serious number of men from all over the world.
Its early symptoms don’t exist, so the best medical advice to detect the prostate cancer at an early stage is to regularly have screening tests.
The most common manifestations of a prostate disorder are frequent and painful urination, problems of sexual function or blood found in the urine.
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
If we talk about an advanced stage we encounter symptoms such as weakness in the legs, fecal an urinary incontinence, bone pain; if the cancer had spread to the lungs and liver it will cause breathing problems, chest and abdomen pains; if the spinal cord is affected it can cause the compression of the spine. If we are talking about metastatic cancer the most affected parts of the body will be the pelvis, ribs and vertebrae.
An early diagnosis of the exact disorder which affects the prostate can be obtained by using the screening procedure, done on a regular basis, the results being either normal when cancerous cells are not detected and abnormal, suggesting cancer.
Screening tests include two procedures: the digital rectal exam or DRE, when the doctor searches for hardness or lumps on the surface of the prostate gland by inserting a gloved finger into the rectum and the prostate specific antigen blood tests or PSA using as an indicator for the spreading of the cancer the prostate-specific antigen.
If the PSA test result indicates under four nanograms per milliliter of blood then it is considered as a normal result, the result between four and ten is at the borderline, depending on the patients age, genetic inheritance, symptoms and even race, a result higher than ten is abnormal, as also if the values are between thirty and forty which definitely indicate the existence of a prostate cancer.
In this last case the doctor has to inquire further medical investigations to reach for an exact diagnosis. A biopsy is the best procedure used in this case and is described as the withdrawing of one or two small pieces of the prostate tissue, using a needle trans-rectally, all this is done with the guidance of ultrasound images of the prostate area.
Biopsies can also be performed near the lymph nodes, the urinary bladder or the rectum. If the cancer has spread to the bones, radionuclide bone scans can confirm that, if we are talking about affected surrounding organs coaxial tomography or CAT scans and magnetic resonance imaging or MRIs can tell how much the cancer has spread in these areas.
If cancer is diagnosed, a pathologist uses the Gleason scale to classify the stages of the cancer: scores of two to four indicate a slow growing tumor, scores of five to six indicate an intermediate aggressiveness of the tumor while scores from seven to ten indicate the rapid growth of the cancerous tumor.
There is also the staging process which indicates how spread is the disease, and there are usually four stages: stage I, stage II, stage III and stage IV.
The next step is to start treating this disease under the guidance of a doctor and to start caring about what foods you consume. For that a doctor’s advices are imperative.
Its early symptoms don’t exist, so the best medical advice to detect the prostate cancer at an early stage is to regularly have screening tests.
The most common manifestations of a prostate disorder are frequent and painful urination, problems of sexual function or blood found in the urine.
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
If we talk about an advanced stage we encounter symptoms such as weakness in the legs, fecal an urinary incontinence, bone pain; if the cancer had spread to the lungs and liver it will cause breathing problems, chest and abdomen pains; if the spinal cord is affected it can cause the compression of the spine. If we are talking about metastatic cancer the most affected parts of the body will be the pelvis, ribs and vertebrae.
An early diagnosis of the exact disorder which affects the prostate can be obtained by using the screening procedure, done on a regular basis, the results being either normal when cancerous cells are not detected and abnormal, suggesting cancer.
Screening tests include two procedures: the digital rectal exam or DRE, when the doctor searches for hardness or lumps on the surface of the prostate gland by inserting a gloved finger into the rectum and the prostate specific antigen blood tests or PSA using as an indicator for the spreading of the cancer the prostate-specific antigen.
If the PSA test result indicates under four nanograms per milliliter of blood then it is considered as a normal result, the result between four and ten is at the borderline, depending on the patients age, genetic inheritance, symptoms and even race, a result higher than ten is abnormal, as also if the values are between thirty and forty which definitely indicate the existence of a prostate cancer.
In this last case the doctor has to inquire further medical investigations to reach for an exact diagnosis. A biopsy is the best procedure used in this case and is described as the withdrawing of one or two small pieces of the prostate tissue, using a needle trans-rectally, all this is done with the guidance of ultrasound images of the prostate area.
Biopsies can also be performed near the lymph nodes, the urinary bladder or the rectum. If the cancer has spread to the bones, radionuclide bone scans can confirm that, if we are talking about affected surrounding organs coaxial tomography or CAT scans and magnetic resonance imaging or MRIs can tell how much the cancer has spread in these areas.
If cancer is diagnosed, a pathologist uses the Gleason scale to classify the stages of the cancer: scores of two to four indicate a slow growing tumor, scores of five to six indicate an intermediate aggressiveness of the tumor while scores from seven to ten indicate the rapid growth of the cancerous tumor.
There is also the staging process which indicates how spread is the disease, and there are usually four stages: stage I, stage II, stage III and stage IV.
The next step is to start treating this disease under the guidance of a doctor and to start caring about what foods you consume. For that a doctor’s advices are imperative.
Surgical Treatment For Prostate Cancer
Published on Mar 27 2010, in the categories: Therapies, Useful Info, surgery
When it comes to the prostate cancer disease, the patients receive treatment depending on how advanced the cancer is. We differentiate the prostate cancers into three categories: organ-confined, locally advanced and metastatic. For the last there is no known cure, but for the first two categories, surgery is probably the most frequently used treatment method.
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
The surgery for the prostate cancer is also known as prostatectomy, and it is usually carried out if patients have a low risk disease. In some cases surgery is used even for advanced stages of cancer.
Prostatectomy basically means the removal of the prostate gland, and it was first performed by Hugh H. Young, in 1904, at John Hopkins Hospital. Other methods of surgery were soon developed afterwards like the transurethral resection of the prostate or TURP and in 1983, the radical retropubic prostatectomy, developed by Patrick Walsh, both of which preserved the penile function. Ever since 1990, in the United States alone, almost thirty six per cent of the male population with confined prostate cancer opted for this surgical procedure.
The discovery, in these last years, of some other forms of treatment, lead to a bit of a paradox regarding surgery to whether it’s worth having it or not.
If we are talking about an advanced type of cancer, the surgery has little worth, since the cancerous cells already reached the surrounding areas of the prostate gland. If the cancer is still contained into the gland, there are some other treatments the patient could opt for, without being necessary the removal of the gland. Some of these treatments have almost the same results as surgery.
Before deciding on this medical treatment you should probably know complications may arise during surgery, and even if the surgery is successful there are some side effects.
Prostatectomy includes the risks of local bleeding, one per cent among men with ages between sixty five and sixty nine die because of the operation, anesthesia, impotence in about thirty five point five per cent cases or incontinence, in four point five per cent cases. For impotence there are treatments like Viagra or sildenafil tablets, devices to help stiffen the penis, injections with Caverject or the penile prosthesis; incontinence can be treated with medications or by using an artificial sphincter implanted around the urethra.
Alternative treatment has its set of advices in case you opt for the surgical approach of treating cancer, so to prevent medical complications, with two weeks before the surgery keep a nutritional diet which includes products with vitamin C, the recommended dose being of 2000-5000mg daily, vitamin B-complex, 60mg doses of zinc daily, vitamin A, modified citrus pectin, vegetables, water, bioflavonoids and protein; avoid smoking, sugar, alcohol, valerian, kava, aspirin and vitamin E.
After surgery you can add to your diet curcumin, small doses of vitamin E or bromelain.
You can also use as a complementary method of treatment homeopathy and follow your doctors recommendations to prevent the cancer cells from appearing again. Health starts with being careful!
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
The surgery for the prostate cancer is also known as prostatectomy, and it is usually carried out if patients have a low risk disease. In some cases surgery is used even for advanced stages of cancer.
Prostatectomy basically means the removal of the prostate gland, and it was first performed by Hugh H. Young, in 1904, at John Hopkins Hospital. Other methods of surgery were soon developed afterwards like the transurethral resection of the prostate or TURP and in 1983, the radical retropubic prostatectomy, developed by Patrick Walsh, both of which preserved the penile function. Ever since 1990, in the United States alone, almost thirty six per cent of the male population with confined prostate cancer opted for this surgical procedure.
The discovery, in these last years, of some other forms of treatment, lead to a bit of a paradox regarding surgery to whether it’s worth having it or not.
If we are talking about an advanced type of cancer, the surgery has little worth, since the cancerous cells already reached the surrounding areas of the prostate gland. If the cancer is still contained into the gland, there are some other treatments the patient could opt for, without being necessary the removal of the gland. Some of these treatments have almost the same results as surgery.
Before deciding on this medical treatment you should probably know complications may arise during surgery, and even if the surgery is successful there are some side effects.
Prostatectomy includes the risks of local bleeding, one per cent among men with ages between sixty five and sixty nine die because of the operation, anesthesia, impotence in about thirty five point five per cent cases or incontinence, in four point five per cent cases. For impotence there are treatments like Viagra or sildenafil tablets, devices to help stiffen the penis, injections with Caverject or the penile prosthesis; incontinence can be treated with medications or by using an artificial sphincter implanted around the urethra.
Alternative treatment has its set of advices in case you opt for the surgical approach of treating cancer, so to prevent medical complications, with two weeks before the surgery keep a nutritional diet which includes products with vitamin C, the recommended dose being of 2000-5000mg daily, vitamin B-complex, 60mg doses of zinc daily, vitamin A, modified citrus pectin, vegetables, water, bioflavonoids and protein; avoid smoking, sugar, alcohol, valerian, kava, aspirin and vitamin E.
After surgery you can add to your diet curcumin, small doses of vitamin E or bromelain.
You can also use as a complementary method of treatment homeopathy and follow your doctors recommendations to prevent the cancer cells from appearing again. Health starts with being careful!
Best Doctors In Maryland For Prostate Cancer
Published on Feb 25 2010, in the categories: Clinics by location, Community, Related topics, Useful Info, surgery
Affections of the prostate - The prostate is a delicate organ and quite moody, requiring careful treatment, but it is most of the times neglected by most men. Prostatitis is a prostate infection that occurs mainly in young men. The adenoma is a benign tumor, known as the prostatic hypertrophy. Prostate cancer, commonly developing in men over 50 years, occupies an important place in Urologic Pathology.
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
It has a clinical slow course, insidious, with no immediate events, unnoticeable, being often found incidentally, in a general clinical examination.
Epidemiology - As frequency, prostate cancer ranks third in men after lung cancer and stomach cancer, forming the fourth cause of death by cancer. Worldwide distribution shows excellent growth, especially in the Nordic countries: Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland in the West. Prostate cancer is rare in Eastern Europe and very rare in Asia.
Risk factors:
-Age is, undoubtedly, the main risk factor. Almost 3 / 4 ¾ of prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over 65 years.
-Family history. Studies show an increase of 2 to 5 times the risk in men with a family history versus no family history. Currently, specialist teams are looking for the gene responsible for the generation of prostate tumors (in 1999 HPC 1 gene was identified, by teams of U.S. scientists and Sweden), research is in progress.
-Endocrine factors: nearly 80 percent of prostate cancers are hormone.
-Prostate adenoma, although a benign lesion, is considered a lesion border (15 percent can generate a prostate cancer).
-Vasectomy as contraception, may lead to prostate hypertrophy, increasing the risk of prostate cancer.
-Food-factor- It was found that a diet containing fat (especially animal fat), can promote prostate cancer. Cancer occurs more frequently in vegetarians and has a high frequency in those with high protein food and sweets, associated with alcohol and tobacco.
At the same time, people who are consuming more than 2-3 times these foods have fewer chances of developing prostate cancer, than those who do not eat fish at all, or eat in very small quantities. Known Swedish magazine "The Lancet" published the results of his research, carried out within 30 years a lot of 6272 Swedes, of 466 were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Recent studies, although controversial, also suggests that a regimen rich in calcium but low in fructose, increases the risk of prostate cancer.
- Excessive sexual activity and multiple partners increase the risk of prostate cancer
- Specific and nonspecific infections: prostatitis treated incorrectly, viral infections (herpes and papilloma).
Cancer - As noted above, prostate cancer is a slow clinical course and without evidence of immediate symptoms and most times it is not noticeable. It is therefore very important that in their 50 years, men go to the doctor once a year for a rectal examination. This can be done by any doctor, regardless of specialty. Besides the digital rectal exam, if there is any suspicion of cancer, there should be made a biopsy and blood analysis, which allows determination of a substance called prostate specific antigen - Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA).
If there are prostate cancer cases in the family history, it is better that such testing be done, starting from the age of 40. In case you are interested in the best doctors in Maryland for prostate cancer, you can ask the advice of your family doctor or search on the internet for best doctors in Maryland for prostate cancer. You should be able to find on forums the names of some good doctors.
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
It has a clinical slow course, insidious, with no immediate events, unnoticeable, being often found incidentally, in a general clinical examination.
Epidemiology - As frequency, prostate cancer ranks third in men after lung cancer and stomach cancer, forming the fourth cause of death by cancer. Worldwide distribution shows excellent growth, especially in the Nordic countries: Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland in the West. Prostate cancer is rare in Eastern Europe and very rare in Asia.
Risk factors:
-Age is, undoubtedly, the main risk factor. Almost 3 / 4 ¾ of prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over 65 years.
-Family history. Studies show an increase of 2 to 5 times the risk in men with a family history versus no family history. Currently, specialist teams are looking for the gene responsible for the generation of prostate tumors (in 1999 HPC 1 gene was identified, by teams of U.S. scientists and Sweden), research is in progress.
-Endocrine factors: nearly 80 percent of prostate cancers are hormone.
-Prostate adenoma, although a benign lesion, is considered a lesion border (15 percent can generate a prostate cancer).
-Vasectomy as contraception, may lead to prostate hypertrophy, increasing the risk of prostate cancer.
-Food-factor- It was found that a diet containing fat (especially animal fat), can promote prostate cancer. Cancer occurs more frequently in vegetarians and has a high frequency in those with high protein food and sweets, associated with alcohol and tobacco.
At the same time, people who are consuming more than 2-3 times these foods have fewer chances of developing prostate cancer, than those who do not eat fish at all, or eat in very small quantities. Known Swedish magazine "The Lancet" published the results of his research, carried out within 30 years a lot of 6272 Swedes, of 466 were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Recent studies, although controversial, also suggests that a regimen rich in calcium but low in fructose, increases the risk of prostate cancer.
- Excessive sexual activity and multiple partners increase the risk of prostate cancer
- Specific and nonspecific infections: prostatitis treated incorrectly, viral infections (herpes and papilloma).
Cancer - As noted above, prostate cancer is a slow clinical course and without evidence of immediate symptoms and most times it is not noticeable. It is therefore very important that in their 50 years, men go to the doctor once a year for a rectal examination. This can be done by any doctor, regardless of specialty. Besides the digital rectal exam, if there is any suspicion of cancer, there should be made a biopsy and blood analysis, which allows determination of a substance called prostate specific antigen - Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA).
If there are prostate cancer cases in the family history, it is better that such testing be done, starting from the age of 40. In case you are interested in the best doctors in Maryland for prostate cancer, you can ask the advice of your family doctor or search on the internet for best doctors in Maryland for prostate cancer. You should be able to find on forums the names of some good doctors.
Prostate Cancer And Treatment After Surgery
Published on Feb 23 2010, in the categories: Related topics, Useful Info, surgery
About prostate cancer - Prostate cancer is a disease characterized by the emergence of malignant cells (cancer) in the prostate. The prostate is a gland of the male reproductive system located below the bladder and near the rectum. It is the size of a chestnut and surrounds the urethra (the tube through which urine is evacuated from the bladder). The prostate produces a fluid that forms part of the semen.
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
Prostate cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in men. In the U.S., one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. While no one says about prostate cancer that it would be a mild illness, the good news is that due to increased awareness and screening sites, increasingly more men are diagnosed early. This means that most cancers are detected while still localized in the prostate and were not extended. If the patient needs to undergo surgery, prostate cancer and treatment after surgery have better evolutions nowadays, namely the cancer shrinks and the treatment is easier to bear.
Treatment options, prostate cancer and treatment after surgery - When prostate cancer is considered to be located, there are five treatment options:
1. remove the affected prostate cancer (radical prostatectomy)
2. irradiation of the prostate affected by external radiation or radioactive seed implantation (brachytherapy)
3. affected prostate freezing (cryotherapy)
4. hormone treatment, which has no curative effect and is done in combination with radiation therapy or cryotherapy.
5. monitoring (with supervision pending)
Surgical removal of prostate cancer - In localized prostate cancer, radical prostatectomy (removal of part of the prostate and surrounding tissue) is considered the definitive method of treating cancer by removing it. Approximately 91% of prostate cancers diagnosed in the United States are localized, which means that many men are potential candidates for cancer removal. But patients should discuss with the doctor the benefits and disadvantages of each type of treatment.
Surgical removal of the prostate allows the doctor to determine how aggressive the tumor is and how much it expanded. This can be critical because 35% of tumors are diagnosed with a lesser degree of differentiation. This means that neoplastic disease is more aggressive than specialists say there should be a pre-surgery evaluation through a biopsy.
Choosing surgery against radiation may facilitate detection of relapse by monitoring PSA after radical prostatectomy than after radiotherapy. It can also be a backup option if the cancer relapses. After radiotherapy, adjacent prostate tissue may be affected. If there is tissue damage, surgery with preservation thread is no longer an option in case of relapse. However, irradiation remains an option for patients who have already been treated surgically for prostate cancer.
Whatever the treatment chosen, the first priority is survival. Several large studies suggest that long-term survival is higher in patients who have undergone surgery than in other treatments. Patients have been treated by radical prostatectomy have a risk of dying from prostate cancer at 15 years after treatment 40% lower than in cases treated by radiotherapy. (according to a survey conducted on 3159 patients, with respect for diagnosis, race, age, socioeconomic status, Gleason score, biopsy grade and year of diagnosis).
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
Prostate cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in men. In the U.S., one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. While no one says about prostate cancer that it would be a mild illness, the good news is that due to increased awareness and screening sites, increasingly more men are diagnosed early. This means that most cancers are detected while still localized in the prostate and were not extended. If the patient needs to undergo surgery, prostate cancer and treatment after surgery have better evolutions nowadays, namely the cancer shrinks and the treatment is easier to bear.
Treatment options, prostate cancer and treatment after surgery - When prostate cancer is considered to be located, there are five treatment options:
1. remove the affected prostate cancer (radical prostatectomy)
2. irradiation of the prostate affected by external radiation or radioactive seed implantation (brachytherapy)
3. affected prostate freezing (cryotherapy)
4. hormone treatment, which has no curative effect and is done in combination with radiation therapy or cryotherapy.
5. monitoring (with supervision pending)
Surgical removal of prostate cancer - In localized prostate cancer, radical prostatectomy (removal of part of the prostate and surrounding tissue) is considered the definitive method of treating cancer by removing it. Approximately 91% of prostate cancers diagnosed in the United States are localized, which means that many men are potential candidates for cancer removal. But patients should discuss with the doctor the benefits and disadvantages of each type of treatment.
Surgical removal of the prostate allows the doctor to determine how aggressive the tumor is and how much it expanded. This can be critical because 35% of tumors are diagnosed with a lesser degree of differentiation. This means that neoplastic disease is more aggressive than specialists say there should be a pre-surgery evaluation through a biopsy.
Choosing surgery against radiation may facilitate detection of relapse by monitoring PSA after radical prostatectomy than after radiotherapy. It can also be a backup option if the cancer relapses. After radiotherapy, adjacent prostate tissue may be affected. If there is tissue damage, surgery with preservation thread is no longer an option in case of relapse. However, irradiation remains an option for patients who have already been treated surgically for prostate cancer.
Whatever the treatment chosen, the first priority is survival. Several large studies suggest that long-term survival is higher in patients who have undergone surgery than in other treatments. Patients have been treated by radical prostatectomy have a risk of dying from prostate cancer at 15 years after treatment 40% lower than in cases treated by radiotherapy. (according to a survey conducted on 3159 patients, with respect for diagnosis, race, age, socioeconomic status, Gleason score, biopsy grade and year of diagnosis).
Prostate Cancer And Side Effects Of Surgery
Published on Feb 20 2010, in the categories: Possible solutions, Related topics, Side effects, Useful Info, surgery
One of the treatments for prostate cancer is surgery. If you want to know about prostate cancer and side effects of surgery, you should first know what prostate cancer is and what treatments there are out there against this disease.
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
The prostate is a muscular glandular organ, situated just below the bladder in the prostatic capsule, surrounding the top portion of the urethra. The prostate is of chestnut form at the lower end of the bladder. The dorsal face of the prostate comes in connection with the rectum, making it possible to be touched through the anus. In a man aged 20 to 25, the prostate is 4-4.5 cm long, 3-5 cm wide and weighing about 20 grams, having a diameter of about 38 millimeters.
The prostate is a delicate organ and quite moody, requiring care, even though it is neglected by most men. Prostatitis is a prostate infection that occurs mainly in young men. Prostate adenoma is a benign tumor, known as the prostatic hypertrophy or periurethral adenoma. Prostate cancer, commonly in men over 50 years, occupies an important place in urologic pathology. It has a slow, insidious clinical course, with no immediate and noticeable events, being often found incidentally, in a general clinical examination.
The prostate adenocarcinoma is the most common malignant tumor in men. Thanks to early detection and appropriate treatment, the disease can be effectively fought today. In case of advanced cancer, hormonal therapy is indicated or radio-hormone therapy (the hormone treatment combined with radiotherapy). In metastatic cancer, hormone therapy is associated with chemotherapy).
If the tumor is located at the prostate (stage T1 and T2), the standard practice is surgical treatment associated with radiotherapy. T4 tumors should be treated initially with chemotherapy and hormone, tumor irradiation is useful in controlling local or remote metastases. As a palliative, the doctor can use different surgical procedures.
When the diagnosis is made, the question is of course of treatment. Although prostate cancer has a reputation to move slowly, in fact, its speed of evolution is often unpredictable. Most often, prostate cancer is found between the ages of 60 and 70. At this age, the evolution of cancer may have a direct impact on the patient’s life expectancy, but treatment is, however, indispensable. If cancer is discovered at an age over 80 years, the doctor will estimate the benefits of surgery, depending on the speed of evolution of cancer.
Surgery can be: -curative (removing the primary tumor and healing), -palliative - to improve symptoms (with the purpose to improve the quality of life and in some cases for longer survival), -emergency (in cases of intestinal occlusion, decompression, bleeding) or reconstruction after mutilating interventions (post mastectomy).
There is no special connection between prostate cancer and side effects of surgery. Generally the side effects of surgery can produce infirmities (amputations of limbs, nose, ears, mastectomy or breast removal, enucleating or removal of an eye, keloid scars), lymphedema (of the arm post mastectomy, the lower limb after excision of pelvic lymph), abdominal pain syndrome (caused of adherences or clamps occurring after surgery on the abdomen).
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
The prostate is a muscular glandular organ, situated just below the bladder in the prostatic capsule, surrounding the top portion of the urethra. The prostate is of chestnut form at the lower end of the bladder. The dorsal face of the prostate comes in connection with the rectum, making it possible to be touched through the anus. In a man aged 20 to 25, the prostate is 4-4.5 cm long, 3-5 cm wide and weighing about 20 grams, having a diameter of about 38 millimeters.
The prostate is a delicate organ and quite moody, requiring care, even though it is neglected by most men. Prostatitis is a prostate infection that occurs mainly in young men. Prostate adenoma is a benign tumor, known as the prostatic hypertrophy or periurethral adenoma. Prostate cancer, commonly in men over 50 years, occupies an important place in urologic pathology. It has a slow, insidious clinical course, with no immediate and noticeable events, being often found incidentally, in a general clinical examination.
The prostate adenocarcinoma is the most common malignant tumor in men. Thanks to early detection and appropriate treatment, the disease can be effectively fought today. In case of advanced cancer, hormonal therapy is indicated or radio-hormone therapy (the hormone treatment combined with radiotherapy). In metastatic cancer, hormone therapy is associated with chemotherapy).
If the tumor is located at the prostate (stage T1 and T2), the standard practice is surgical treatment associated with radiotherapy. T4 tumors should be treated initially with chemotherapy and hormone, tumor irradiation is useful in controlling local or remote metastases. As a palliative, the doctor can use different surgical procedures.
When the diagnosis is made, the question is of course of treatment. Although prostate cancer has a reputation to move slowly, in fact, its speed of evolution is often unpredictable. Most often, prostate cancer is found between the ages of 60 and 70. At this age, the evolution of cancer may have a direct impact on the patient’s life expectancy, but treatment is, however, indispensable. If cancer is discovered at an age over 80 years, the doctor will estimate the benefits of surgery, depending on the speed of evolution of cancer.
Surgery can be: -curative (removing the primary tumor and healing), -palliative - to improve symptoms (with the purpose to improve the quality of life and in some cases for longer survival), -emergency (in cases of intestinal occlusion, decompression, bleeding) or reconstruction after mutilating interventions (post mastectomy).
There is no special connection between prostate cancer and side effects of surgery. Generally the side effects of surgery can produce infirmities (amputations of limbs, nose, ears, mastectomy or breast removal, enucleating or removal of an eye, keloid scars), lymphedema (of the arm post mastectomy, the lower limb after excision of pelvic lymph), abdominal pain syndrome (caused of adherences or clamps occurring after surgery on the abdomen).