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Prostate Cancer Cure - Beat The Cancer

 

 

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.

 

Prostate Cancer Treatments

 

Of the prostate cancer treatments available, your doctor will recommend the treatment option that is best for you. The decision will depend on your overall health and how far advanced your cancer is. If the treatment recommended for you is not something you're comfortable with, for instance you may not be comfortable with external beam radiation therapy; you can give your doctor your opinion. It's important that you are at ease with the decision. Discuss it with your family as well, particularly the possible side effects and cure rate.

 

Oncologists specialize in certain fields. The one you are referred to will be a specialist in the treatment prescribed for you.

 

Watching and Waiting

 

The first strategy in most treatment plans is watching and waiting. The signs and symptoms that may indicate prostate cancer are also indications of other problems such as an infection in or close to your prostate. Watching and waiting is to determine which condition your symptoms are from.

 

During this period, blood samples will be tested for PSA levels and tissue samples may be sent for a biopsy.Elevated levels of the prostate specific antigen may point to a less serious medical problem. This is why a tissue sample may be taken; to verify or to rule out the presence of cancer. Remember that early treatment usually has a better possibility of cure.

 

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.

 

Radiation

 

There are 3 different types of radiation therapies. External beam therapy is typically a stream of X-rays aimed at your pelvis from a device outside the body. The X-rays burn away cancer cells through repeated treatments over several weeks.

 

An alternative external beam therapy is Proton Beam Therapy. Instead of using X-rays, protons, which are charged particles or ions, are streamed at your pelvis, again from a device outside your body.

 

Brachytherapy is the introduction of several radioactive seeds directly into your prostate. They are implanted with a series of injections while you are under a general anesthetic.

 

All of the radiation treatments above work on the principle of burning cancer cells away with high energy particles. Radiation treatment can take place over time, and is subject to the same side effects as surgery.

 

Hormone Therapies

 

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.

 

Cryotherapy

 

Cryotherapy is a procedure where, during surgery, your prostate is frozen and then thawed to destroy cancer cells.

 

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Uploaded on August 5, 2013
Taken on August 16, 2008