Helping People Imagine Their Future
The hardest thing we can do as physicians is help patients envision their future selves, Dr. Buyyounouski said. So patient-reported outcomes are very helpful, because you can tell patients exactly what side effects people had, and the frequency and bother of those side effects at points in time.
For many, he added, the trade-off in more side effects right after treatment will be worth it for a shorter treatment duration.
Unless youve been a patient, its hard for folks to imagine all the things that need to happen for somebody to go and get treatment every for weeks, Dr. Buyyounouski said.
Theres transportation costs, gas, parking, co-pays. And there are costs associated with the things youre not doing, like time away from work or responsibilities at home. Its more than just the medical bills.
I think people are itching to shorten the treatment because there are a lot of patients for whom its a barrier to getting treatment. And radiation therapy is a potentially curative treatment, added Dr. Citrin. So, making it easier for patients without increasing the long-term side effects is a huge win.
However, a less-intensive standard course of radiation will still likely appeal to some people, she added, especially if they are experiencing ongoing side effects from surgery.
Summary Of Surgery Vs Radiation For Prostate Cancer
- Both surgery and radiation can be used to treat patients who have prostate cancer.
- Surgery for prostate cancer is invasive but has the benefit of potentially completely removing the cancerous cells from the body.
- Radiation is a less invasive treatment for prostate cancer and also has the advantage of being helpful for patients needing palliative care.
Testosterone Hormone Therapy For Prostate Cancer
Most men with cancer that is still confined to the prostate wind up undergoing either surgery or radiation. But if the cancer has spread, doctors will typically suggest hormone therapy. Hormone therapy is based on the idea that prostate cancer cells are especially hungry for testosterone, the male hormone. Take away this “food” and the cancer cells die. Most of the testosterone in a man’s body is produced in the testicles, which is why doctors used to simply cut them off to “cure” prostate cancer.
But it’s not enough to surgically remove a man’s testicles, because the adrenal glands go into action to produce even more testosterone. So even after the testicles have been removed, a man suffering from prostate cancer must still take medicines to block the flow of testosterone from the adrenal glands. Another approach, which allows men to keep their testicles, is to use powerful drugs to block the flow of testosterone.
Whether a man keeps his testicles or not, hormone therapy deprives him of his usual testosterone. This slows the cancer somewhat, but has unpleasant side effects and undesirable psychological consequences. Men find themselves unable to get or keep erections, they lose muscle mass and gain breast tissue, and they suffer from fatigue hot flashes, reduced brain function, and other problems. Hormone therapy can be a helpful temporary measure to arrest or shrink the cancer.
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Are There Side Effects Of The Combination Approach
There is a slightly higher chance that patients who receive the combined therapy will have rectal irritation or urinary side effects. This is common with prostate cancer radiation therapy because the radiation can damage cells in the tissues surrounding the prostate. But at MSK, we routinely use sophisticated computer-based planning techniques that help us reduce the dose given to normal tissues such as the rectum, bladder, and urethra, lessening the chances of side effects and complications. We have also found that, when treating with the combined approach, using the high-dose-rate brachytherapy compared to low-dose-rate brachytherapy may have less in the way of side effects.
In addition, at MSK, we routinely use a rectal spacer gel, which we inject between the prostate and the rectum while the patient is under mild anesthesia, to create a buffer between these two tissues. By creating this space, we can further reduce the dose of radiation the rectum is exposed to. This leads to fewer side effects for the patient. The rectal spacer gel is biodegradable and dissolves on its own within the body after a few months.
What Were The Results
Sexual function. After three years, men who had surgery reported lower sexual function than the men who had radiation or active surveillance. Men who had radiation and those who had active surveillance reported similar sexual function.
Leaking of urine. Men who had surgery reported more leaking of urine than the men who had radiation or active surveillance. Men who had radiation and those who had active surveillance reported similar leaking of urine.
Other urine or bowel problems. The research team asked about pain or reduced stream when passing urine, blood in the urine, and passing urine often. The team also asked about bowel function and hormone function. The only difference was that men who had surgery reported fewer of the urinary problems than men who had active surveillance.
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Treatment For Cpg 1 Localised Prostate Cancer
You might not have treatment straight away. Instead, your doctor recommends monitoring your cancer closely and then discussing treatment if the cancer begins to grow. This is called active surveillance.
If you decide to have treatment, it might include:
- surgery to remove your prostate or
- external radiotherapy
How To Decide Between Radiation Or Surgery For Prostate Cancer
If you want to know how to decide between radiation or surgery for prostate cancer, youve come to the right place.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, with more than 1 million cases diagnosed in 2018. It often grows slowly so that most men die of other causes before it becomes clinically advanced and hard to treat.
As most prostate cancers are diagnosed in slow-growing stages, they usually do not require immediate treatment decisions.
For localized and locally advanced prostate cancers, surgery and radiation therapy are the main treatment options.
Both options have risks, including erectile dysfunction, urinary problems, and bowel complications.
Your doctor will use the results of your diagnostic tests to balance the treatment benefits against those side effects.
Here, we explore the suitability of different treatment options. Well help you understand how to decide between radiation or surgery for prostate cancer. We offer information to help you consider the best treatment for your specific disease.
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How To Compare Radiation Vs Surgery For Prostate Cancer
Research from the ProtecT trial shows us that radiation and surgery are good options, with the caveat that the specifics of your personal health condition could make one more advisable than the other. If thats not the case, rest assured that youre not at risk of making a terrible decision: Radiation and surgery are both solid options.
How to evaluate radiation vs. surgery comes down to understanding the disease and the research on treatment outcomes, getting a thorough understanding of your specific situation and then deciding which pathway you feel is right for you.
Physical Emotional And Social Effects Of Cancer
Cancer and its treatment cause physical symptoms and side effects, as well as emotional, social, and financial effects. Managing all of these effects is called palliative care or supportive care. It is an important part of your care that is included along with treatments intended to slow, stop, or eliminate the cancer.
Palliative care focuses on improving how you feel during treatment by managing symptoms and supporting patients and their families with other, non-medical needs. Any person, regardless of age or type and stage of cancer, may receive this type of care. And it often works best when it is started right after a cancer diagnosis. People who receive palliative care along with treatment for the cancer often have less severe symptoms, better quality of life, and report that they are more satisfied with treatment.
Palliative treatments vary widely and often include medication, nutritional changes, relaxation techniques, emotional and spiritual support, and other therapies. You may also receive palliative treatments similar to those meant to get rid of the cancer, such as chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation therapy.
Learn more about the importance of tracking side effects in another part of this guide. Learn more about palliative care in a separate section of this website.
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What Happens During Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays or a stream of particles . High doses of radiation can destroy abnormal cancer cells. Each treatment destroys some of the cancer cells at a microscopic level. Patients do not feel the radiation during treatment. They will only hear some electrical noise and may see light from the machine.
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Treating Advanced Prostate Cancer
If the cancer has reached an advanced stage, it’s no longer possible to cure it. But it may be possible to slow its progression, prolong your life and relieve symptoms.
Treatment options include:
- hormone treatment
- chemotherapy
If the cancer has spread to your bones, medicines called bisphosphonates may be used. Bisphosphonates help reduce bone pain and bone loss.
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Which Organ Is More Sensitive To Radiation
For example, since the blood forming cells were one of the most sensitive cells due to their rapid regeneration rate, the blood forming organs are one of the most sensitive organs to radiation. Muscle and nerve cells were relatively insensitive to radiation, and therefore, so are the muscles and the brain.
Choosing A Prostate Cancer Treatment: Surgery Versus
AdvantagesRadical prostatectomy has many advantages over radiation which include shorter recovery times, Treatment choices are different for that stage of cancer.Patients treated with radiation are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer, Radiation wont give you that kind of answer, Brachytherapy Improves 10-year Overall Survival Compared to Prostatectomy Alone in Young Men with Low- andProstate surgery is better than radiation for younger men says Dr, and those with radiotherapy did better than those with active surveillance the differences were statistically but not clinically significant, You may be curious about which method is best for your case, Treatment choices are different for that stage of cancer.
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Are There Side Effects Of Radiation Therapy For Prostate Cancer Treatment
There are common types of side effects that result from the use of radiation therapy and treatment of prostate cancer some of these include sexual dysfunctions, bowel problems as well as urinary issues.
Urinary leaking, low sexual drive and bowel problems such as loose stools and diarrhea are the reported side effects of radiation therapy for prostate cancer. The best thing is that these are just temporary issues that are resolved after the completion of the treatment.
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Comparison Of Oncological Outcomes Between Radical Prostatectomy And Radiotherapy By Type Of Radiotherapy In Elderly Prostate Cancer Patients
- Department of Urology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Beijing, China
Objective: We aimed compare the oncologic outcomes of radical prostatectomy with those of external beam radiotherapy , brachytherapy , or EBRT + BT in elderly patients with localised prostate cancer .
Methods: Localised PCa patients aged 70 years who underwent RP, EBRT, BT, or EBBT between 2004 and 2016 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Multivariable competing risks survival analyses were used to estimate prostate cancer-specific mortality and other-cause mortality . Subgroup analyses according to risk categories were also conducted.
Results: Overall, 14057, 37712, 8383, and 5244 patients aged 70 years and treated with RP, EBRT, BT, and EBBT, respectively, were identified. In low- to intermediate-risk patients, there was no significant difference in CSM risk between RP and the other three radiotherapy modalities . The corresponding 10-year CSM rates for these patients were 1.2%, 2.3%, 2.0%, and 1.8%, respectively. In high-risk patients, EBRT was associated with a higher CSM than RP , whereas there was no significant difference between RP and BT or RP and EBBT . The 10-year CSM rates of high-risk patients in the RP, EBRT, BT, and EBBT groups were 7.5%, 10.2%, 8.3%, and 7.6%, respectively. Regarding OCM, the risk was generally lower in RP than in the other three radiotherapy modalities .
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Strengthen Your Body’s Healing Ability
After you’ve discovered the limitations of standard Western medicine, look into ways of cleansing your body and removing the blockages that encourage disease. Think about and visualize strengthening your body’s ability to heal itself. Doesn’t that make the most sense? If you agree that the best approach is to make your body strong enough to naturally and completely dispense with the cancer, keep reading. Then spring into action!
Implement your own healing plan. It can work, and it can work quickly: in 90 days! Remember, healthy bodies successful ward off cancer every day! Regularly monitor your progress. You can always fall back on your medical treatment of choice if necessary.
This article was excerpted from the book:
Prostate Health in 90 Days
Prostate Cancer: Should I Have Radiation Or Surgery For
Radiation therapy is more likely to cause bowel problems, 112 experienced disease progression, and radiation oncologists feel the same way about Prostate Cancer Survival Better With Surgery vs, When prostate cancer is found earlybefore it has spread outside the glandit may be cured with radiation or surgery, in case of prostate cancer, and from what this study is showing, Bowel function was better after surgery than after radiotherapy the difference was statistically but not clinically significant.Prostate Cancer TreatmentThat stage comes with surgery, Prostate cancer that has grown beyond the prostate is called advanced prostate cancer, which was higher than in the surgery and radiation groups .< img src=https://i0.wp.com/grandroundsinurology.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/nvfdcamy0wy.jpg alt=Debate: Effectiveness of Surgery vs, the idea of getting the cancer out brings a sense of relief.
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Prostate Seed Implantation At Princeton Radiation Oncology Treats Prostate Cancer Effectively
Prostate seed implantation is a minimally invasive procedure for treating prostate cancer in which radioactive seeds are placed in the prostate gland to target cancer cells while maximizing the preservation of healthy tissue. This outpatient procedure requires general anesthesia and takes only a few hours. Most patients return to normal activities within two to three days.
At Princeton Radiation Oncology, our doctors are experts in treating prostate cancer patients using prostate seed implantation, having pioneered its use more than two decades ago.
Surgery Or Radiation: Which Is Better For Early Prostate Cancer
Oct. 3, 2000 — When Hank Porterfield learned he had prostate cancer in 1992, he was faced with a critical choice that more than 100,000 men in the U.S. make each year — whether to treat the cancer with surgery or radiation. Then in his mid-60s, the Illinois man says he was told the treatments were equally effective.
“I was very lucky because I immediately found a support group and started talking to people who had been through treatment,” he tells WebMD. “I was aware of the potential side effects of therapy, so I was better able to deal with them. I decided on surgery, which, at the time, was the best treatment option for me.”
Approximately 180,000 men in the United States are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, and almost 90% have clinically localized disease, meaning that the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body. While some patients with the cancer localized to the prostate, particularly older men, are advised to take a watch-and-wait approach with no therapy given, most will have to decide between therapeutic options.
NCI researchers studied long-term treatment side effects in close to 1,600 men with localized prostate cancer from all over the country and found that those treated with surgery had more urinary and sexual problems, while those treated with radiation had greater declines in bowel function. None of the patients included in the study had radioactive seed implant therapy.
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Prostate Cancer Surgery Or Radiation Which Is Better
The only other thing I was drinking in the first 6 months after my diagnosis was green tea. I would drink about 4 glasses of green tea daily to go along with the increased water intake. I wasnt putting any other liquid into my body for the first 6 months. This was a big help in starting my road to recovery.
Once I started feeling better then I added organic soy milk to my diet as well. Soy milk isnt much like regular milk but once you get used to it then its not bad at all. To this day these are the only 3 liquids I have in my diet. To recap the 3 liquids I drink today are purified water,green tea,& organic soy milk. I put no other liquids into my body period.
Now, I want to chat a little more about meat & other aspects of a proper diet. As I said we dont need meat to live. I thought cutting or limiting meat in my diet would be to hard to accomplish. Well again my thinking was wrong. Was it easy? No! However, after a couple weeks then things were starting to get easier. I didnt cut all meats out of my diet but I did cut certain meats & eat moderate amounts of all others.
One meat that needs to be completely cut or at least very minimized is red meat . Too much Red meat consumption is not good for prostate health. I was eating a lot of fast food burgers & also red meat at home. I will say to at least cut red meat completely out of your diet until you get your prostate health back.