| This article is written to provide a brief | | | | |
| description of most of the treatments | | | | Using Gamma rays, the medical professionals |
| available to those men afflicted with | | | | try to kill every possible cancerous cell. |
| prostate cancer. To make the right decision | | | | This is completed in one of two ways. |
| is very important. | | | | |
| | | | In this form of prostate cancer treatment, a |
| Prostate cancer is the second biggest cancer | | | | small-radiated rod is inserted into the |
| related killer in males over sixty, yet many | | | | prostate and left for a period of time to |
| men do not look after themselves well enough | | | | kill the cancerous cells. |
| and seek help when it is needed. Luckily | | | | |
| there are many prostate cancer treatments | | | | The second way is to use an external |
| available for those suffering with prostate | | | | radiation beam to concentrate on the area |
| cancer, a lot of which can totally eradicate | | | | from outside the body. |
| the condition. | | | | |
| | | | Prostatectomy |
| To show how invasive each prostate cancer | | | | |
| treatment is we will go through each | | | | This form of prostate cancer treatment is a |
| treatment from least invasive to most | | | | surgical one and involves totally removing |
| invasive. | | | | the prostate gland. This is normally carried |
| | | | out early on in the cancer lifecycle, as the |
| Watchful waiting | | | | surgery cannot be completed if the cancer has |
| | | | moved to other areas of the body. |
| Watchful waiting, also known as active | | | | |
| surveillance, is a treatment where the | | | | Chemotherapy |
| doctors just keep an active eye on the | | | | |
| illness to see how it is progressing and is | | | | The most dangerous of all the therapies, |
| normally chosen for only one of two reasons. | | | | chemotherapy, needs to be administered |
| | | | carefully as the drugs damage and destroy the |
| Reason one. The cancer is in its infancy and | | | | cancerous cells, and if given in the wrong |
| the tumor is small, confined and expected to | | | | doses can kill healthy cells too. |
| grow very slowly | | | | |
| | | | The end product |
| Reason two. The patient has a separate | | | | |
| medical condition that means surgery would be | | | | A lot of these treatments are quite invasive |
| worse for the patient than the current | | | | and dangerous in their own way, in some cases |
| suffering. | | | | the side affects to having these treatments |
| | | | can be quite drastic. It has been known for |
| Hormonal Therapy | | | | people to suffer with impotence, erectile |
| | | | dysfunction and loss of sexual appetite from |
| Testosterone drives the male sex drive and it | | | | having these different treatments. |
| also stimulates prostate cancer cells, as | | | | |
| they are hormone dependant. If the | | | | The after affects of this can be quite |
| testosterone hormone can be blocked it will | | | | devastating on an emotional level as the male |
| reduce the speed the cancerous cells can | | | | takes time to get used to the after affects |
| grow. | | | | the treatment caused, in some cases this |
| | | | requires counseling to alleviate any stress, |
| This prostate cancer treatment can work in | | | | depression or anger. |
| three ways, one is through an oral tablet, | | | | |
| which reduces the testosterone production in | | | | What is important though is that the cancer |
| the testes, two is androgen therapy to block | | | | is eradicated, once it has gone the person |
| the effects of testosterone and number three | | | | suffering can sleep easily knowing they have |
| is to totally remove the testes completely. | | | | managed to escape one of the biggest killers |
| | | | that men have to face alone. |
| Radiation | | | | |