What is the Best Prostate Cancer Treatment ?

When you first find out you have prostate cancer,of becoming impotent can be reduced by having
that voice inside your head screams. Loudly. And thesomething called "nerve sparing surgery," where the
fear begins.surgeon is careful not to snip any "erection" nerves.
But fear gradually gives way to furious thinking;Still, with surgery you would have to face long
thinking about what happens next and where to go.hospital stays and long recovery times, which brings
Usually this is in the form of treatment options, aus to one of the other common treatments: radiation.
myriad of them, and the many, many characteristicsScary-sounding as it is, radiation is much less invasive
of each that must be weighed carefully. Watchfulthan most forms of therapy. Hospital time is less, and
waiting? Surgery? Radiation? Hormones?recovery time is quicker. Not to say it's perfect.
Cryosurgery? Perhaps even proton beam? And soRadiation side effects can be severe, and include
on. Along with the careful advice of your doctor, yousuch nasties as diarrhea and bleeding from the
may begin to narrow it down, or you may begin torectum. In addition, there is some controversy as to
feel overwhelmed. What exactly ARE some of thesewhether radiation can zap cancer as effectively as
treatments and which one is the best?surgery.
As you've probably already guessed, the "best" isIn fact, the effectiveness of many treatments are
different for everyone. Watchful waiting is "best" foroften compared to surgery. Does this mean surgery
you if you're cancer is slower and less aggressive andis the gold standard, and hence the "best"
you are old. That's right, I called you "old." Seriously,treatment?
though, if your doctor thinks you are no springIt's just too complicated to answer. Certainly, a study
chicken, he may recommend that any treatmentperformed by the Johns Hopkins Medical Center in
would be harder on you than the cancer itself, and1998 came to the conclusion that only surgery can
that you both should take a wait and see approach.successfully remove all cancer, and that surgery
If not, he may decide that you are ready forpatients may have short term decrease in their
surgery.quality of life in exchange for long-term freedom
This is the most drastic treatment choice, and is seenfrom cancer. Other treatments have been improved
by some as the "best" of the "best." What's so greatsince then, however, and this answer is less certain.
about it is that the surgeon manually removes theFor some individuals, surgery is simply too drastic and
entire prostate gland, including the cancer. It's gone.the cancer too slow to demand it. For others,
Completely. And he can poke around in there to seeprevious health problems or your own personal
if there's more. The problem is that there can be sidereasons may make radiation a more reasonable
effects that can seriously mess up your comfortchoice.
level. Effects like the inability to hold in your peeOnly your doctor and you can make a decision like
(incontinence), and the inability to have an erectionthis together. Treatment for prostate cancer is one
(impotence). Tempering these problems are two smallof the most personal decisions you can make, and
facts: incontinence is very, very rare, and the chancethe "best" is different for everybody.