It certainly isn’t an understatement to say that there’s a lot of fear surrounding cancer. So, there should be no wonder as to why many prostate cancer sufferers are quick to agree to whatever treatment options are available to them. One of these options is prostate cancer surgery. On the surface it seems like a perfect treatment for sufferers; it’s fast and it removes the source of the problem… the infected prostate. Yet, what are the risks behind surgery? Many sufferers go on the operating table without knowing the risks, then get overwhelmed if the worst does happen to them. Well, before you consider such procedures, continue reading on to discover all of the risks behind prostate cancer surgery.

1. Pain

Pain is one of the most obvious problem caused by surgery. This is because all surgical procedures, even the most basic will be somewhat painful. Granted, the doctors and nurses will provide morphine or other painkillers, but these are only but so effective. There will be periods where you will just have to feel the discomfort, and it will be far from pleasant.

2. Risks of Anesthesia

When it comes to the risks behind prostate cancer surgery, many may not even think of anesthesia. But anesthesia can carry complications, with the most major being blood clots, heart attack or a stroke. Granted, these complications tend to be rare, but still need to be thought about since they do happen.

3. Bleeding

Excessive bleeding is another one of the risks that you need to know about. Prostate cancer surgery is especially prone to such a risk because the prostate gland contains many blood vessels. If a person bleeds too much, they may need to get a blood transfusion, a process that carries even more risks, despite how routine it is.

4. Incontinence

Incontinence is one of the risks of surgery because the procedure negatively interferes with the muscles that control urinary flow. Incontinence can cause urine to leak when a man coughs or laughs and/or it can result in an excessive urinary urges along with an abnormal flow.

5. Impotence

One of the risks behind prostate surgery that negatively affects a man’s romantic/sexual health is impotence. This occurs because the procedure damages or removes nerves that are vital for arousal. However, usually the body can regenerate these nerves after a few months, though for some men it may take up to two years before they regain normal erectile functioning.

6. Penis Shrinkage

Penis shrinkage that is strange yet potentially devastating for some men. Many patients notice a 15 percent decrease in the length of their genitalia after undergoing prostate cancer surgery.

7. Sterility

Lastly, prostate cancer surgery can make a man permanently sterile, since the procedure cuts the vessels between the urethra and the testicles. Although the man can technically still produce sperm, he will not be able to ejaculate it since the connection has been severed.

You can learn more about prostate cancer as well as the symptoms of prostate cancer on my website http://www.SymptomsOfProstateCancer.info - My website includes a whole range of articles focusing on the problems caused by prostate cancer, treatments and of course what you should do if you think you have prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American men apart from lung cancer. More than 2 million men in the United States suffer from this dreaded disease. However, with the recent advancements in the field of medical research and science, the number of patients succumbing to this disease is gradually going down.

Prostate cancer treatment can be broadly classified into local therapy and systemic therapy. Procedures like surgery and radiation therapy are local treatment options used to control the disease in a particular area inside the body. Hormone therapy using agonists is a systemic treatment option used when the cancer converts into a metastasis and affects various organs.

Surgery involves removal of a part or complete prostate gland, a process known as prostatectomy. Different surgical procedures used include radical retropubic prostatectomy, radical perineal prostatectomy, laproscopy, TURP, cryosurgery and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Surgery is the most common treatment in early stage prostate cancer. Side effects of surgery include impotency, dry orgasms and urinary incontinence.

There are two different types of radiation therapy available for treating prostate cancer. One treatment option uses externally-produced radiation beams to kill cancer cells. Alternatively, there is another procedure known as brachytherapy where radioactive material is implanted into the affected area in the form of small seeds. Radiation coming from the seeds is enough to destroy cancer cells in the vicinity. Side effects of this therapy include diarrhea, problems during urination, dry skin and permanent hair loss.

Hormone therapy involves usage of drugs that block the androgens required for the growth of prostate cancer cells. These drugs are known as agonists. Some important drugs include Lutenizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists like leuprolide and goserelin, anti-androgens like flutamide and nilutamide and drugs like ketoconazole that prevent adrenal gland to synthesize testosterone. Physicians can use these drugs individually or in a combination.

A patient should always consult a specialist and get a second opinion about the diagnosis and treatment procedure before starting the treatment.

About Author:

Pauline Go is a professional writer for many website like newbiemommy.com. She also writes other great articles like
Blank Printable Doctors Excuses Sample,
Prostate Cancer Survivability Rates At Stage T3c,
Cases of Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

It’s difficult to refer to anything cancer-related as a “good thing,” but one of the relatively good things about prostate cancer is that there are a number of ways to treat it.

If you have prostate cancer, you should understand the different types of prostate cancer treatment and speak to your physician about each option. As with many other types of cancer, doctors often disagree the best treatment option for patients with prostate cancer. The number of treatment options will also vary depending on how advanced/widespread the cancer is in a particular patient.

So again, the best you can do is educate yourself about the various prostate cancer treatment options and seek opinions from more than one specialist in the field.

With that being said, here are some of the most common treatments for prostate cancer.

Treatment Option #1 - Prostate Surgery

Surgery is possibly the most common form of prostate cancer treatment. The goal of such surgery is to remove the entire prostate from the body, thus removing the cancer along with it. But while the goal of prostate surgery is almost always the same, the method of surgery varies.

Current technology enables doctors to perform robotic surgery for prostate removal, which can minimize hospital time and expedite recovery. Robotic prostate surgery, as it is known, uses minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques.

Treatment Option #2 - Radiation Therapy

Current research shows that surgery and radiation therapy have similar success rates, though the two prostate cancer treatments have different side effects.

With radiation therapy, high-energy rays (similar to x-rays) are used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors within the prostate. The main types of radiation therapy for prostate cancer are (1) external beam radiation and (2) brachytherapy, or internal radiation. Though both options have decent success rates, there is more data and information about external beam radiation — at least at the time of this writing (August 2007).

Treatment Option #3 - Hormonal Therapy

Hormone therapy, also known as androgen deprivation therapy, is another prostate cancer treatment option.

With hormone therapy, reduce the level of male hormones (androgens) in the body. Androgens such as testosterone are produced in testicles and have been shown to stimulate the growth of prostate cancer cells. Therefore, by lowering androgen levels within the body, doctors can also slow the growth of cancer shells, or even shrink them.

Side note: In a related article on this website, we discuss the possible causes of prostate cancer, and under the dietary section there is a similar mention this link between testosterone and prostate cancer growth.

Currently, doctors disagree on several aspects of hormone therapy as a prostate cancer treatment. The most common points of dispute are the best time to start such therapy, the best time to stop the therapy, and the method of administering the therapy.

Treatment Option #4 - Chemotherapy

Most people are familiar with chemotherapy as a general treatment for most cancers. Chemotherapy is also another form of prostate cancer treatment as well.

With chemotherapy, anti-cancer drugs are introduced into the body. Because of the many different ways to administer these drugs, there are certain oncologists (cancer doctors) who specialize in the proper administration of chemotherapy.

As a treatment for prostate cancer, chemotherapy is usually reserved for advanced cases wherein the cancer cells are not responding to other forms of cancer treatment. One of the most important things to realize about chemotherapy is that the drugs are very strong. Thus, they can make a patient very sick even while reducing or eliminating cancer. Chemo can attack and kill cancer cells, but it can also damage healthy cells as well.

Side effects of chemotherapy depend on the types of drugs used, the dosage and the length of time they are taken. But in general, side effects of chemotherapy include the following:

* hair loss
* loss of appetite
* mouth sores
* nausea and vomiting
* lower resistance to infection (low white blood cell counts)
* easy bruising or bleeding (low blood platelets)
* general tiredness or fatigue (low red blood cells)

Conclusion

When considering your treatment options for prostate cancer, it’s important to get multiple opinions from cancer specialists and to educate yourself as much as possible. This article is just an overview of prostate cancer treatment options, therefore we highly recommend you seek other sources of knowledge before making a decision about treatment.

* You may republish this article online if you keep the author’s note with active hyperlinks below. Copyright 2007, Prostate Surgery Center.

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Brandon Cornett is the publisher of Prostate Surgery Center, an unbiased guide to prostate cancer and the surgeries associated with it. Learn more by visiting http://www.prostatesurgerycenter.com

Cancer in any form is a scary thought and for men, a prostate cancer is even scarier. There are chances that men in their lifetime are bound to suffer from enlarged prostate or other degree of prostate cancer. But due to so much advancement in technology and so many researches being conducted we now have a large pool of knowledge regarding natural supplements and products. This helps in achieving good health in our peak days and provides us with alternative energy supply well in our late ages.

If you are worried about your prostate health then it is very important to intake the right kind of food to keep the prostate fully functional and avoid any kind of health issues. If the right food chart is followed then there should be no doubt in your mind that you will remain healthy for a longer time.

Many food supplements can compliment your health as well as boost your prostate health. The first is soy. Although most think that soy is a food supplement that is meant for women but you will be surprised to know that soy also help in maintaining a good prostate health. There are many soy products available in market but the nutrients of soy are most effective when used in the form of actual soybean or tofu.

Another good food that is bound to help your prostate health is fruit. All fruits are full of a natural sugar that adds to the protective effect on the prostate. Also lycopene, another natural chemical found in fruits and vegetable also contributes towards protection from prostate cancer. The red color in fruits and vegetables is the indication in lycopene, the redder the fruit the higher the concentration of lycopene.

Alternatively, you can use Saw palmetto. It is an herb that has been long thought to be helpful in avoiding prostate cancer or men with enlarged prostate problems. Another beneficial natural remedy for the prostate cancer is milk. Cancer helps in maintaining a good prostate health. Especially in old age where even the minutest efforts are bound to come in handy.

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