| When you first find out you have prostate
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| | incontinence is very, very rare, and the
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| cancer, that voice inside your head
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| | chance of becoming impotent can be
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| screams. Loudly. And the fear begins.
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| | reduced by having something called "nerve
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| But fear gradually gives way to furious
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| | sparing surgery," where the surgeon is
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| thinking; thinking about what happens
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| | careful not to snip any "erection"
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| next and where to go. Usually this is in
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| | nerves. Still, with surgery you would
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| the form of treatment options, a myriad
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| | have to face long hospital stays and long
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| of them, and the many, many
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| | recovery times, which brings us to one of
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| characteristics of each that must be
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| | the other common treatments: radiation.
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| weighed carefully. Watchful waiting?
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| | Scary-sounding as it is, radiation is
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| Surgery? Radiation? Hormones?
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| | much less invasive than most forms of
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| Cryosurgery? Perhaps even proton beam?
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| | therapy. Hospital time is less, and
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| And so on. Along with the careful advice
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| | recovery time is quicker. Not to say it's
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| of your doctor, you may begin to narrow
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| | perfect. Radiation side effects can be
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| it down, or you may begin to feel
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| | severe, and include such nasties as
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| overwhelmed. What exactly ARE some of
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| | diarrhea and bleeding from the rectum. In
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| these treatments and which one is the
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| | addition, there is some controversy as to
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| best?
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| | whether radiation can zap cancer as
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| As you've probably already guessed, the
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| | effectively as surgery.
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| "best" is different for everyone.
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| | In fact, the effectiveness of many
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| Watchful waiting is "best" for you if
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| | treatments are often compared to surgery.
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| you're cancer is slower and less
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| | Does this mean surgery is the gold
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| aggressive and you are old. That's right,
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| | standard, and hence the "best" treatment?
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| I called you "old." Seriously, though, if
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| | It's just too complicated to answer.
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| your doctor thinks you are no spring
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| | Certainly, a study performed by the Johns
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| chicken, he may recommend that any
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| | Hopkins Medical Center in 1998 came to
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| treatment would be harder on you than the
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| | the conclusion that only surgery can
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| cancer itself, and that you both should
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| | successfully remove all cancer, and that
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| take a wait and see approach. If not, he
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| | surgery patients may have short term
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| may decide that you are ready for
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| | decrease in their quality of life in
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| surgery.
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| | exchange for long-term freedom from
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| This is the most drastic treatment
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| | cancer. Other treatments have been
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| choice, and is seen by some as the "best"
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| | improved since then, however, and this
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| of the "best." What's so great about it
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| | answer is less certain. For some
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| is that the surgeon manually removes the
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| | individuals, surgery is simply too
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| entire prostate gland, including the
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| | drastic and the cancer too slow to demand
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| cancer. It's gone. Completely. And he can
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| | it. For others, previous health problems
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| poke around in there to see if there's
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| | or your own personal reasons may make
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| more. The problem is that there can be
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| | radiation a more reasonable choice.
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| side effects that can seriously mess up
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| | Only your doctor and you can make a
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| your comfort level. Effects like the
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| | decision like this together. Treatment
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| inability to hold in your pee
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| | for prostate cancer is one of the most
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| (incontinence), and the inability to have
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| | personal decisions you can make, and the
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| an erection (impotence). Tempering these
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| | "best" is different for everybody.
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| problems are two small facts:
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