The truth and how to prevent cancer


What is the Best Prostate Cancer Treatment ?

When you first find out you haveincontinence is very, very rare, and the
prostate cancer, that voice inside yourchance of becoming impotent can be
head screams. Loudly. And the fearreduced by having something called
begins."nerve sparing surgery," where the
But fear gradually gives way to furioussurgeon is careful not to snip any
thinking; thinking about what happens"erection" nerves. Still, with surgery
next and where to go. Usually this is inyou would have to face long hospital
the form of treatment options, a myriadstays and long recovery times, which
of them, and the many, manybrings us to one of the other common
characteristics of each that must betreatments: radiation.
weighed carefully. Watchful waiting?Scary-sounding as it is, radiation is
Surgery? Radiation? Hormones?much less invasive than most forms of
Cryosurgery? Perhaps even proton beam?therapy. Hospital time is less, and
And so on. Along with the careful advicerecovery time is quicker. Not to say
of your doctor, you may begin to narrowit's perfect. Radiation side effects can
it down, or you may begin to feelbe severe, and include such nasties as
overwhelmed. What exactly ARE some ofdiarrhea and bleeding from the rectum.
these treatments and which one is theIn addition, there is some controversy
best?as to whether radiation can zap cancer
As you've probably already guessed, theas effectively as surgery.
"best" is different for everyone.In fact, the effectiveness of many
Watchful waiting is "best" for you iftreatments are often compared to
you're cancer is slower and lesssurgery. Does this mean surgery is the
aggressive and you are old. That'sgold standard, and hence the "best"
right, I called you "old." Seriously,treatment?
though, if your doctor thinks you are noIt's just too complicated to answer.
spring chicken, he may recommend thatCertainly, a study performed by the
any treatment would be harder on youJohns Hopkins Medical Center in 1998
than the cancer itself, and that youcame to the conclusion that only surgery
both should take a wait and seecan successfully remove all cancer, and
approach. If not, he may decide that youthat surgery patients may have short
are ready for surgery.term decrease in their quality of life
This is the most drastic treatmentin exchange for long-term freedom from
choice, and is seen by some as thecancer. Other treatments have been
"best" of the "best." What's so greatimproved since then, however, and this
about it is that the surgeon manuallyanswer is less certain. For some
removes the entire prostate gland,individuals, surgery is simply too
including the cancer. It's gone.drastic and the cancer too slow to
Completely. And he can poke around indemand it. For others, previous health
there to see if there's more. Theproblems or your own personal reasons
problem is that there can be sidemay make radiation a more reasonable
effects that can seriously mess up yourchoice.
comfort level. Effects like theOnly your doctor and you can make a
inability to hold in your peedecision like this together. Treatment
(incontinence), and the inability tofor prostate cancer is one of the most
have an erection (impotence). Temperingpersonal decisions you can make, and the
these problems are two small facts:"best" is different for everybody.



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