Prostate-related Cancer Cure
Effective prostate cancer treatment depends on several factors. Depending on how advanced the cancer is or how quickly it is spreading, your treatment options could range from simply monitoring the problem to undergoing aggressive radiation treatment.
Each treatment has its advantages and disadvantages, and what proves effective for one cancer patient may not work at all for someone else. As always, it’s best for anybody who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer to find a treatment that works best for them, something that may be easier said than done.
Monitoring the Cancer
Some men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer may not need immediate treatment, or in fact any treatment at all. Benign prostate tumors can develop, and when they do many doctors recommend watchful waiting or active surveillance. This involves monitoring the lump through blood tests, rectal examinations or biopsies. This is frequently an option for prostate cancer that has yet to spread or could never spread out, but it is additionally utilized for men that have other health and wellness disorders that could be intensified by the negative effects of more vigorous cancer procedures.
Radiation Therapy
If a patient’s prostate cancer is indeed spreading, it will require some form of treatment. One option for prostate cancer treatment that has proven effective for many patients is radiation therapy. Radiation therapy entails using high-powered radiation to kill cancer cells and it can be delivered to the person’s physical body in either methods. The very first is external beam radiation during which the sick person lays down on a desk while a device points high-powered energy beams to the prostate-related cancer. The other form of radiation therapy is delivered through a process called brachytherapy. In brachytherapy, rice-sized radioactive seeds are implanted into the prostate tissue using an ultrasound-guided needle. Because the seeds eventually decay and stop giving off radiation, they don’t need to be removed.
Some of the side effects of radiation therapy include painful or frequent urination, loose stools and erectile dysfunction. There is also the little opportunity that the radiation can create cancer cells in the anus, bladder or various other parts of the physique.
Hormone Therapy
Another option for treating prostate cancer involves using therapy to stop the body’s production of testosterone. Because prostate cancer cells need testosterone to increase, reducing off their supply of androgen hormone or testosterone can frequently be an effective therapy for prostate cancer. This type of treatment is often used for advanced cases of prostate cancer to shrink tumors and slow down their growth or in early stages of the disease as a preparation for radiation therapy.
Hormone therapy typically involves the use of drugs to either stop the patient’s testicles from producing testosterone or prevent testosterone from reaching the cancerous cells. In extreme cases, the testicles can be surgically removed in a procedure called an orchiectomy. This lowers the patient’s testosterone levels much more quickly than most medications.
Some of the side effects of hormone therapy include erectile dysfunction, loss of bone mass, hot flashes, weight gain and a reduced sex drive. It may likewise boost the threat of heart problem and cardiovascular disease.
Surgery
Prostate cancer can also be treated through the surgical removal of the prostate and the surrounding tissue. This is a very invasive procedure that can be performed in a number of different ways. Your doctor will be able to help you decide what method is best for you should you require this treatment. Adverse effects could consist of urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.