| prostate cancer estimated to affect as many as 1 in | | | | also have side effects such as bone loss, impotence, |
| 6 men, any new research developments that may | | | | and increased risk for diabetes and heart disease. |
| affect treatment are extremely noteworthy. | | | | Ultimately, a treatment plan of the |
| Because the risks of having prostate cancer increase | | | | testosterone-blocking drugs alone, in older men, didn't |
| dramatically with age, every generation is in a race | | | | appear to be effective. |
| against the clock to find the most effective | | | | For men considering Georgia prostate cancer surgery, |
| treatment methods, or prevention methods, possible. | | | | this study does not influence the need for curative |
| Recently a medical study on men with prostate | | | | surgery or radiation. Often the antihormone drugs can |
| cancer introduced very interesting news that | | | | be very effective when they are paired with surgery |
| contradicted some previously held beliefs in the | | | | or radiation. To maximize the effectiveness of a |
| medical community. Some physicians have withheld | | | | cancer treatment plan for Georgia men, prostate |
| potentially curative treatment in older men because | | | | cancer might require surgery or radiation, rather than |
| of a concern about side effects of radiation or | | | | drug treatment alone. |
| surgery. Other physicians have used hormone | | | | Researchers theorized that many men felt they |
| therapy as a means of delaying cancer progression | | | | were improving their health by taking the drugs |
| instead of offering potentially curative treatment. | | | | without surgery or radiation, because it was a better |
| This new study by Robert Wood Johnson Medical | | | | course of action than doing nothing. Now that their |
| School, however, suggests that drug treatment alone | | | | research has shown this to be an ineffective method |
| does not improve survival rates of men taking it, and | | | | of treatment by itself, the researchers hope that |
| might actually be hindering their improvement. The | | | | doctors will avoid the drug treatments except in |
| study was published in the Journal of the American | | | | combination with radiation and/or surgery. |
| Medical Association in July. | | | | For older men looking for information about Georgia |
| The prostate cancer information generated by this | | | | prostate cancer treatment, the study offers an |
| article studied about 20,000 men, including Medicare | | | | important topic to bring up with their doctors. While |
| patients, whose prostate cancer had not spread to | | | | surgery and radiation can seem scary, the solution to |
| other areas of the body. The study took 6 years to | | | | prostate cancer doesn't appear to be as easy as |
| complete, as information was gathered and the men | | | | popping a pill or receiving an injection, at least for |
| were studied. All study participants were over the | | | | older men. For Georgia men, prostate cancer |
| age of 66, which means that the data drawn from | | | | treatment might require surgery, rather than the |
| the study is particularly relevant to older men, but | | | | simpler approach of a drug treatment. |
| not necessarily accurate for younger men. Average | | | | With the continued research and studies being done, |
| age of a study participant was 77. | | | | advances in Georgia prostate cancer treatment are |
| Researchers found that the typical treatment of | | | | continually being made. At this point in time, however, |
| testosterone-blocking drugs might have more | | | | drug treatment alone doesn't seem to be an |
| drawbacks than benefits. The testosterone-blockers | | | | effective method in the fight against prostate cancer. |
| are meant to keep cancer cells from growing, but | | | | |