The Men's Health Book by Rowe Dr Mark

Author:Rowe, Dr Mark
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orpen Press
Published: 2013-09-16T16:00:00+00:00

Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer

This is an area that is the subject of ongoing research. There are a number of treatment options that can be taken singly or sometimes in combination. All of these treatments have pluses and minuses. It is important to inform yourself fully about all the options, including the option of ‘watchful waiting’, i.e. simply keeping an eye on your prostate. This can be a very reasonable option as many men with prostate cancer do not have aggressive forms of the condition and their condition grows so slowly that no active treatment is needed.

The decision to have active treatment and which type of treatment to undergo is an important decision that you should take in conjunction with your specialist, as side effects from these treatments can be significant. Surgery, radiotherapy and hormone therapy all have different side effects that need to be considered. These side effects include urinary incontinence, reduced ejaculation, lowered sex drive and long-term impotence, as well as hot flushes, tiredness and sweats.

Options include surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy or a combination of these treatments:

Surgical removal of the entire prostate is known as a ‘radical prostatectomy’. Complications from this can include impotence and urinary incontinence.

Radiotherapy can include either external beam radiotherapy, where the prostate is irradiated from outside the body, or more recently an option of placing small radioactive seeds into the prostate, which irradiate it from the inside out.

Hormone treatment can lower the testosterone levels (this is like giving the patient the male menopause). Drugs can be used to lower the level of testosterone in the blood, which has the effect of slowing or stopping the growth of the cancerous tumour. However, some prostate tumours develop the ability to grow without testosterone.

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