What Else You Can Do For Your Loved One
Besides providing relief throughout the cancer end-of-life stages, a family caregiver can provide both emotional and practical support at the end of life. This usually involves speaking to the patient about their financial plan, but should also include things like speaking to the patient about how they would like to spend their final days. Perhaps there is something they wish they could have done or seen. And perhaps there is some way you can help them make this dream a reality. You can also help them with planning a funeral, as well as speak to them about when they feel it is time to begin hospice care.
End Stage Prostate Cancer Symptoms
These are some of the common symptoms of end stage prostate cancer:
- frequent urination and even more at night
- pain in lower back, hips or upper legs from metastasis
- occasional blood in your urine
- painful urination
- aches and pains and tiredness
- erectile difficulties
The pain in the pelvis and hips can be the result of prostate bone cancer that has spread outside the prostate due to metastasis.
Clinical Symptoms And Signs
Benign prostatic hyperplasia can lead to all signs described above: locomotor, gastro-intestinal and urinary tract disorders.
Digital palpation is easy and cheap to perform during a routine general examination. Practitioners can assess the position and symmetry of the gland. However, this is not a very accurate examination technique . Rectal examination does not reveal slight prostatomegaly when the prostate remains in the pelvis canal.
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Treatment Options For Dog Prostate Cancer
Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are the most common ways to treat dog prostate cancer.
Neutering is not a viable option if a dogs prostate growth is cancerous, because the size of the prostate will not shrink as testosterone is not related to the cause of the disease. Castration with the use of anti-androgen drugs, however, may help control the cancer if it is hormone responsive. The benefit of neutering a dog with prostate cancer is a possible reduction in the development of inflammation and infection.
Surgical removal of the prostrate is not recommended because of the complications that may arise, such as urinary incontinence.
Chemotherapy and radiation, even though they are common options, may not bring about the results desired. This type of tumor is not as responsive to chemotherapy and radiation as other cancers. These treatments can shrink the prostate, but usually does not give any relief from the discomfort the dog may be experiencing.
Many dog owners may look to natural or homeopathic remedies to help provide some form of relief to their pets. Herbs and natural supplements most likely will not cure the dog of his cancer, but can help boost his immune system.
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What Are The Stages Of Death From Cancer
While the stages of death from cancer are different for every patient, and not everyone will experience the symptoms below, here is a general list of the stages and symptoms of death from cancer. Additionally, if you have questions you can contact us 24/7 using the blue bar above.
During the Final Weeks:
- A Lost of Interest in Most Things/Inability to Concentrate: The patient may start to lose interest in things such as the news, entertainment, sports, etc., and may also be unable to concentrate or hold a conversation. Activities that used to interest the patient may now be of no interest. While this can be distressing to the family caregiver, it is not out of the ordinary in the final weeks of cancer.
- Exhaustion, Weakness, and Desire to Sleep: The cancer patient may become much weaker and more easily exhausted during these last weeks. They may want to sleep often because of this, as well as spend most of their day in bed.
- Loss of Appetite: They may lose much of their appetite or have difficulty eating and drinking.
During the Final Days:
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Patients May Not Want To Eat Or Drink In The Final Days Or Hours
In the final days to hours of life, patients often lose the desire to eat or drink, and may not want food and fluids that are offered to them. The family may give ice chips or swab the mouth and lips to keep them moist. Food and fluids should not be forced on the patient. This can make the patient uncomfortable or cause choking.
Trying New Potential Treatments
You may also want to talk to your doctor about taking part in a clinical trial. These are studies that test treatments to see if theyâre safe and if they work. They might be new drugs or a mix of treatments that haven’t been used together before. You could also be part of the “control” group and not get the new treatment at all. Clinical trials offer you early access to brand new treatments, but itâs also important to remember that they may not work. Youâll want to talk with your doctor to make sure you understand the pros and cons of a research study before you join one. To find clinical trials, ask your doctor or search the National Institutes of Health database at www.clinicaltrials.gov.
At some point, your treatment may stop working. If that happens, you can still get care to ease symptoms like nausea, pain, and tiredness. Even though it may not cure your cancer, the goal is to make you feel better.
Show Sources
American Cancer Society: “Hormone therapy for prostate cancer,” “Preventing and treating prostate cancer spread to bones,” “Vaccine treatment for prostate cancer,” “What is metastatic cancer?” “When Cancer Doesn’t Go Away,” âUnderstanding Advanced and Metastatic Cancer,â âWhatâs New in Prostate Cancer Research?â
Prostate Cancer UK: âWhat is locally advanced prostate cancer?â
ClinicalTrials.gov: “Learn About Clinical Studies.”
National Cancer Institute: “Cancer Vaccines.”
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Signs That A Cancer Patient Is At The End Of Life
The world often seems suddenly strange and unfamiliar when a loved one is dying of cancer.In addition to a flood of emotions and practical concerns, uncertainty about what to expect in the final few days causes more anxiety. While everyone’s experience is different, the body organs and systems shut down during the dying process, leading to predicable signs and behaviors that reflect the mind, body and spirit undergoing transition from life to death.
Fast Facts On Prostate Cancer
- Prostate cancer rarely reaches an advanced stage.
- People with the condition normally have a very good outlook when they receive an early diagnosis and treatment.
- Hormone therapy is a treatment option for advanced prostate cancer, as are chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
- Prostate cancer can spread to the bones, brain, and lungs.
Prostate cancer occurs when cells in the prostate gland mutate and start to develop abnormally, multiplying at an uncontrolled rate. In some instances, the cancerous cells can spread to other body parts through tissue, the blood, or the lymphatic system.
After a doctor diagnoses prostate cancer, they will test to see if the cancer has spread to other areas of the body, or how much of the body is affected.
The doctor will assign a stage of prostate cancer from 1 to 4. Stage 4 is the most advanced form.
Stage 4 prostate cancer has spread to pelvic lymph nodes or is blocking the ureters. The ureters are the tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder. Stage 4 prostate cancer may also have spread to the bladder, the rectum, the bones, or distant lymph nodes.
Doctors will test any cancerous cells in the body to determine if the additional cells came from the prostate. Even if they detect cancer in the bones, doctors still consider this prostate cancer if that is where the cancer originated.
There are two types of stage 4 prostate cancer:
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About Prostate Cancer Its Late Stage Symptoms And Diagnosis Procedures
Symptoms and Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer
Community health clinics use Prostate-Specific Antigen blood test in order to diagnose prostate cancer in men. Abbreviated PSA, the test aims to diagnose the extent of the antigen in the blood. A rise in the level of PSA can be caused by several health conditions, so PSA test only suggests cancer, but wont diagnose it fully. It may indicate prostate gland pathologies comprising of prostate cancer, and when combined with a higher risk, it can preempt the occurrence of the condition.
Of late, a biopsy procedure has been used to diagnose prostate cancer, which will be assisted further by an in-lab analysis. Biopsy for the diagnosis of the health condition also incorporates transrectal ultrasound , which creates a scan of the prostate gland with sound waves. Since TRUS wont see differences in the tissue, needles are directed into the prostate gland systematically. Still, it may miss high-risk prostate cancer by 30 percent, which may necessitate tests in future. It may even detect a low-risk of prostate cancer that may lead to under treatment.
Most diagnostic tests for prostate cancer using urine samples is done when the tumor is limited to a small area, but certain instances are found where the tumor penetrates the prostate capsule. In that case, advanced diagnosis methods such as Multiparametric MRI tests are used to determine how much of the tumor has grown in the body.
What Are Some Of The Problematic Aspects Of Prostate Cancer
Men who undergo prostate cancer may have enlarged prostate symptoms like frequent urination, especially at night, or leakage. Many men experience erectile dysfunction, which can impact their sex life. In addition, the disease and the treatment might cause fatigue and disrupt your life and motivation. Some cancer patients experience issues with mood, such as depression.
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Signs Of Impending Death Identified In Cancer Patients
While many would rather not think about when someone might die, knowing how much longer a seriously ill person has left to live can be very useful for managing how they spend their final days. Researchers have now revealed eight signs in patients with advanced cancer associated with death within 3 days.
Diagnosis of an impending death can help clinicians, patients and their friends and family to make important decisions. Doctors can spare time and resources by stopping daily bloodwork and medication that will not make a short-term difference. Families will know if they still have time to visit their relatives.
This study shows that simple bedside observations can potentially help us to recognize if a patient has entered the final days of life, says study author Dr. David Hui.
Upon further confirmation of the usefulness of these tell-tale signs, we will be able to help doctors, nurses, and families to better recognize the dying process, and in turn, to provide better care for the patients in the final days of life.
The study, published in Cancer, follows on from the Investigating the Process of Dying Study a longitudinal observational study that documented the clinical signs of patients admitted to an acute palliative care unit . During the study, the researchers identified five signs that were highly predictive of an impending death within 3 days.
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First Line Treatment For Advanced Prostate Cancer
The established first line approach is to control the progression of the disease by reducing levels of testosterone in the body. This is because testosterone increases the speed at which prostate cancer cells reproduce.
There are two different ways to lower testosterone levels. Hormone therapy lowers the levels of testosterone in the body by taking tablets or having injections. It is sometimes referred to as medical castration. The surgical option involves removing the testicles, known as surgical castration or orchidectomy, although this is now rarely used.
Another approach is called anti-androgen treatment. Androgens have to bind to a protein in the cell called an androgen receptor to work. Anti-androgens are drugs that bind to these receptors so the androgens cant, effectively blocking them. The main side-effects are gynaecomastia breast enlargement and breast pain, although a single radiotherapy dose to the breasts can help this side-effect.
Combining anti-androgens with testosterone reduction is known as Maximum Androgen Blockade and may be used if hormone treatment alone is not working sufficiently.
Treating with chemotherapy at the same time as the start of hormone deprivation was found to increase survival by 13 months in all patients and 17 months in men with high-volume disease.
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How Should Caregivers Talk To Children About A Family Members Advanced Cancer
Children deserve to be told the truth about a family members prognosis so they can be prepared if their loved one dies. Its important to answer all of their questions gently and honestly so they dont imagine things that are worse than reality. They need to be reassured that they will be taken care of no matter what happens.
Caregivers need to be prepared to answer tough questions. To do this, they should know what their own feelings and thoughts are about the situation. They need to be able to show children how to hope for the best while preparing for and accepting that their loved one may die.
Radiotherapy To The Prostate
Some men who have just been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer may be offered external beam radiotherapy as part of their first treatment. This is where high-energy X-ray beams are directed at the prostate from outside the body. The X-ray beams damage the cancer cells and stop them from dividing and growing. Read more about radiotherapy for advanced prostate cancer.
Radiotherapy to the prostate isnt suitable for all men with advanced prostate cancer. If it isnt suitable for you, you might be offered a type of radiotherapy to help manage symptoms instead.
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Choices About Care And Treatment At The End Of Life Should Be Made While The Patient Is Able To Make Them
A patient may wish to receive all possible treatments, only some treatments, or no treatment at all in the last days of life. These decisions may be written down ahead of time in an advance directive, such as a living will. Advance directive is the general term for different types of legal documents that describe the treatment or care a patient wishes to receive or not receive when he or she is no longer able to speak their wishes.
Studies have shown that cancer patients who have end-of-life discussions with their doctors choose to have fewer procedures, such as resuscitation or the use of a ventilator. They are also less likely to be in intensive care, and the cost of their healthcare is lower during their final week of life. Reports from their caregivers show that these patients live as long as patients who choose to have more procedures and that they have a better quality of life in their last days.
For more information, see Planning the Transition to End-of-Life Care in Advanced Cancer.
Knowing What To Expect In The Final Days Or Hours Helps Comfort The Family
Most people dont know the signs that show death is near. Knowing what to expect can help them get ready for the death of their loved one and make this time less stressful and confusing. Healthcare providers can give family members information about the changes they may see in their loved one in the final hours and how they may help their loved one through this.
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Possible Changes In Body Function
- Profound weakness usually the patient cant get out of bed and has trouble moving around in bed
- Needs help with nearly everything
- Less and less interest in food, often with very little food and fluid intake for days
- Trouble swallowing pills and medicines
- More drowsiness the patient may doze or sleep much of the time if pain is relieved, and may be hard to rouse or wake
- Lips may appear to droop
- Short attention span, may not be able to focus on whats happening
- Confusion about time, place, or people
- Limited ability to cooperate with caregivers
- Sudden movement of any muscle, jerking of hands, arms, legs, or face
Canine Prostate Cancer: Life Expectancy
Life expectancy for dogs with prostate cancer depends a lot on how big the tumor is, how severe it is, and if its spread. Because this cancer tends to be aggressive, life expectancy can be as little as one month after diagnosis, or as much as 2 years.
In order to extend life expectancy, it is important to reduce the risk of further tumor spread, and also reduce the chances of a secondary infection.
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How Long Can A Dog Live After Being Diagnosed With Cancer
Its a big questionand one that has a variety of answers depending on when a dog is diagnosed, the specific type and stage of cancer, and the age of a dog. This post looks at how the most common types of cancer and cancer treatments affect dogs living with cancer. Read our post on cancer causes in dogs to learn about preventative measures.
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What Can You Do About Appetite Changes
Its important to recognize changes in appetite so that you can get help when its needed. Talk to your medical team about how much youve been eating and whether you need to do something about it. For example:
- Some causes of poor appetite can be managed with medical treatment. There are medicines that can help stimulate your appetite, decrease nausea, and help food move through your stomach more quickly.
- A nutritionist might be able to offer tips on how to get the most out of each bite you take.
- Supplemental drinks or shakes can sometimes help you get needed nutrition more easily.
- You might find that youre able to eat more when others are at the table.
- You might find it easier to eat small frequent meals or snacks during the day instead of trying to eat full meals 3 times a day.
These measures may work for some, but they wont help most people who are very close to the end of life. At later stages, these efforts can even make the person feel worse.
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