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What Are The Side Effects Of Having Prostate Removed

Risks Of Radical Prostatectomy

Press Release: Studies shed light on radiation effects after prostate removal

Radical prostatectomy has a low risk of serious complications. Death or serious disability caused by radical prostatectomy is extremely rare.

Important nerves travel through the prostate on the way to the penis. Skilled surgeons can usually protect most of these nerves during radical prostatectomy. Still, complications from inadvertent nerve damage do occur after radical prostatectomy. They include:

  • Urinary incontinence: More than 95% of men younger than age 50 are continent after radical prostatectomy. Around 85% of men aged 70 or older maintain continence after the operation.
  • Erectile dysfunction : Problems with erections are common after prostatectomy. Still, most men are able to have sex after prostatectomy while using medicines for ED , an external pump, or injectable medications. The younger the man, the higher the chance of maintaining potency after prostatectomy. A period of penile rehabilitation is often necessary.

Much of the skill involved in radical prostatectomy centers on sparing these nerves during the operation. A man undergoing radical prostatectomy by a surgeon at an advanced prostate cancer center has a better chance of maintaining sexual and urinary function.

Other complications of radical prostatectomy include:

  • Bleeding after the operation

Prostate Removal: 8 Things To Know

  • BPH: Surgical Management. Urology Care Foundation.
  • How Cancer Treatment Can Affect Ejaculation. American Cancer Society.
  • Prostate Cancer FAQs. Prostate Cancer Foundation.
  • Prostate Cancer Treatment Option Overview – Surgery. National Cancer Institute.
  • Prostate Enlargement: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
  • Prostatectomy . Prostate Cancer Foundation.
  • Surgery for Prostate Cancer. American Cancer Society.
  • Transurethral Resection of the Prostate . Johns Hopkins Medicine.
  • What is Radical Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer? American Urological Association.
  • Treatment Vs Side Effects

    Prostate cancer treatment side effects can vary greatly from little to none, or create lifetime issues. Studying what treatments cause what side effects should be part of your treatment decision. Consenting to treatment means you understand the nature of the treatment, risks, benefits and alternatives.

    Treatment or the combination of treatments in advanced cases can lead to a wide range of side effects. Prostate cancer treatment side effects include erectile dysfunction, incontinence, urinary issues, diarrhea, hot flashes, weight gain, loss of muscle, vomiting and hair loss. There are short term prostate cancer treatment side effects that subside over time, as well as long term side effects that can last for years. Question your Doctor about the side effects of the treatment you have selected. Make an informed decision.

    Prostate cancer treatment side effects can vary greatly from little to none, or create lifetime issues. Studying what treatments cause what side effects should be part of your treatment decision. Consenting to treatment means you understand the nature of the treatment, risks, benefits and alternatives.

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    Help To Continue The Work

    The Prostate Cancer Free Foundation, reviews the results of hundreds of thousands of men treated for prostate cancer. Tracking them for years. This information is available to you, and others like you, to help find the best prostate cancer treatment. This work takes time, effort, resources all of it done by volunteers. Please help us continue. Please Donate!

    When A Cure For Your Prostate Cancer Isnt Possible

    10 Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer

    If the cancer has spread and it is not possible to cure it with surgery, your doctor may still recommend treatment that focuses on improving quality of life by relieving the symptoms . Medications can be used to relieve pain, nausea and vomiting. The Cancer Council Victoria booklet called Living with advanced cancer may be helpful to read.

    Read Also: Is Turmeric Good For Prostate

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    Sex After Surgery To The Prostate Gland

    When your prostate gland is removed, you will still make sperm, but it wonât come out through your penis. It will be absorbed back into the body. You may also have problems with erections or lose interest in sex after prostate surgery. Although you may feel embarrassed, doctors who deal with prostate cancer are very used to talking about these issues and will be able to give you advice. There are treatments that can help with this.

    Reducing The Risk Of Erectile Dysfunction

    To minimise your risk of impotence following the operation, any factors that might predispose you to erection problems should be addressed beforehand. Such risk factors include:

    • smoking
    • obesity and
    • diabetes.

    Your doctor will assess your risk and offer treatment or advice if necessary. They will also make sure that you are not taking any medicines that could contribute to erectile dysfunction.

    Read Also: How To Fix A Swollen Prostate

    Recovery Of Sexual Function After Surgery

    Spontaneous erections may return as early as 6 months after a successful nerve-sparing prostate removal operation. However, some men may not experience the return of spontaneous erections for up to 3 years.

    Return to normal sexual functioning can be helped by what is known as penile, or sexual, rehabilitation, which should be started before surgery and continued afterwards. It is thought that the following measures can speed up the return of spontaneous erections.

    • Engaging in foreplay.
    • Encouraging erections soon after surgery .
    • Regular use of oral medicines to help with erections both before and straight after the surgery.
    • Use of a vacuum erection device or injection therapy after the operation.

    Prostate Cancer Expertise At Scca

    Side effects of Enlarged Prostate Surgery | BPH treatment side effect

    Data collected from cancer centers across the country show that men who begin their prostate cancer treatment at SCCA have higher survival rates on average than those who started treatment at other centers.

    We have world-class urologic oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and pathologists who specialize in prostate cancer the most advanced diagnostic, treatment and recovery programs and extensive support.

    SCCA patients have access to advanced treatments being explored in ongoing prostate cancer clinical trials conducted at SCCA, Fred Hutch and UW Medicine. Our doctors and scientists are at the forefront of research to better prevent, diagnose and treat prostate cancer and to improve quality of life for survivors, including through the Institute for Prostate Cancer Research, a Fred HutchâUW Medicine collaboration.

    Your SCCA doctors will explain all your options and recommend a treatment plan based on the grade and stage of your prostate cancer and several other factors, including your age, your general health, potential side effects and the probability of curing your disease, extending your life or relieving your symptoms.

    Recommended Reading: Prostate Cancer Erectile Dysfunction Treatment

    Coping And Support For You And Your Family

    Coping with the side effects of prostate cancer surgery can be difficult. There are things you can do, and people who can help you and your family to cope.

    • Radical prostatectomy for localised prostate cancerUpToDate, June 2016

    • Long-term quality-of-life outcomes after radical prostatectomy or watchful waiting: the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group-4 randomised trial. EJohansson, and othersThe Lancet Oncology, 2011. Vol 12, Issue 9, Pages 891-899

    • Sexual dysfunction following radical prostatectomyC.R Benson, and othersJournal of Andrology, 2012. Volume 33, Pages 1143-1154

    • Quality of life and satisfaction with outcome among prostate-cancer survivors. M. Sanda and othersNew England Journal of Medicine, 2008. Volume 358

    • Guidelines on Prostate CancerEuropean Association of Urology , March 2015

    • Prostate cancer

    Dealing With Erectile Dysfunction: For You And Your Partner

    The following information is based on the general experiences of many prostate cancer patients. Your experience may be different. If you have any questions about what prostate cancer treatment services are covered by your health insurance, please contact your health care provider or health insurance provider. This education material was made possible by a Grant from the California Department of Justice, Antitrust Law Section, from litigation settlement funds to benefit Californians diagnosed with cancer or their families.

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    The Purpose Of Prostate Surgery

    Prostate cancer surgery, or radical prostatectomy, is a procedure conventional medicine praises for curing prostate cancer.

    It has been performed for many years and was regarded as the gold standard of prostate cancer treatment. However, few studies compare its efficacy to other techniques.

    Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer today are typically diagnosed with Gleason 6 cancer levels. But, according to many experts, this diagnosis may not be cancer! According to Mark Scholz, MD, a board-certified oncologist and expert on prostate cancer:

    Misuse of the term cancer has tragic implications. Real cancer requires action and aggressive medical intervention with the goal of saving a life. But consider the potential havoc created by telling someone they have cancer when it is untrue. This dreadful calamity is occurring to 100,000 men every year in the United States with men who undergo a needle biopsy and are told they have prostate cancer with a grade of Gleason 6.

    The impact of this is quite profound. Most prostate cancer diagnosed today falls into this Gleason 6. If it is not cancer, thousands of men have had aggressive treatment for cancer they dont really have.

    Aggressive treatment, usually a complete surgical removal of the prostate , is the typical result. This leaves the patient to suffer from its side effects for the rest of their life.

    Robotic Prostate Surgery Details

    Prostate Cancer + PlusVitality

    Using the advanced surgical system, miniaturized robotic instruments are passed through several small keyhole incisions in the patients abdomen to allow the surgeon to remove the prostate and nearby tissues with great precision. This is much less invasive than a conventional radical retropubic prostatectomy, which involves an abdominal incision that extends from the belly button to the pubic bone.

    During robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy, a three-dimensional endoscope and image processing equipment are used to provide a magnified view of delicate structures surrounding the prostate gland , allowing optimal preservation of these vital structures. The prostate is eventually removed through one of the keyhole incisions.

    For most of the surgery, the surgeon is seated at a computer console and manipulates tiny wristed instruments that offer a range of motion far greater than the human wrist. The surgery is performed without the surgeon’s hands entering the patients body cavity.

    Find a Location

    Compared with traditional open surgery, patients who undergo robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy experience:

    • Less blood loss

    • Less pain

    • Shorter hospital stays

    • Faster recovery times .

    Read Also: Is Drinking Beer Bad For Prostate Cancer

    Prostate Cancer Pain And Weakening Bones

    Prostatecancer most commonly spreads to the bones. This is called bone metastases. This condition can cause pain. It can also weaken bones and make them prone to fractures. So, too, can the endocrine therapy thats often used to slow the spread of prostate cancer. But doctors can offer treatments to relieve bone pain and support weakened bones.

    Bisphosphonates to Strengthen Bones

    These drugs help reduce or delay problems such as fractures caused by bone metastases in prostate cancer. The drug zoledronateà can improve bone density but is not approved to reduce fractures or bone loss in men with prostate cancer on endocrine therapy

    A new class of drugs, the rank ligand antagonists, specifically denosumabà , has been found to be superior to zoledronate in reducing fractures in castrate independent prostate cancer. It is administered subcutaneously. Denosumab is also used to prevent osteoporosis caused by endocrine therapy for non-metastatic prostate cancer,

    The drug toremifeneà , a serum estrogen receptor modifier used primarily for metastatic breast cancer, is can also be useful in the treatment of osteoporosis related to prostate cancer.

    Both denosumab and zoledronate have the unique side effect of destroying the jaw bone. Therefore, before beginning either therapy dental disease should be addressed.

    Radiation Therapy for Bone Pain

    Radiation is given to reduce bone pain in advanced prostate cancer.

    Surgery to Stabilize Bones

    Lifestyle Changes to Maintain Bone Health

    How May Erectile Dysfunction Affect My Sexual Relationships

    Prostate cancer and its treatment can affect your desire for sex. Every man is different but the feelings caused by having cancer and the physical stress of treatment can affect the way you feel about your body and your relationships. Some men talk about feelings of a loss of their role within the partnership or family. This can sometimes affect a mans self esteem and confidence. For others, the physical effects of treatment may lead to tiredness and a lack of energy. Physical changes after some treatments can also affect the way you feel about your body and appearance . All of these things may result in a lack of interest in sex.

    If you are feeling tired or under stress, tell your partner how your feel. Loss of interest in sex does not mean you lose interest in a loving and supportive relationship. There are ways to remain physically intimate without having sex. If you are used to a close physical relationship, it is important to remember that hugs, cuddles and kisses maintain intimacy, provide support, and do not have to lead to sex.

    Read Also: How Can You Get Prostate Cancer

    How To Return To An Active Sex Life After Prostate Cancer Treatment

    No matter the cancer, treatments often cause side effects that affect patients quality of life. But with prostate cancer, the potential side effects can be particularly concerning to men who are trying to decide which approach is right for them. Surgery, radiation therapy and other treatments may impact a patients sex life, causing challenges like low sex drive, loss of penis length, dry orgasm or low sperm counts. Despite the angst these issues may cause, experts say most of these side effects can be managed and many men have a good chance of returning to a full sex life after prostate cancer treatment.

    Unfortunately, sexual dysfunction is a possibility for nearly all treatment options for prostate cancer, including surgery, says Scott Shelfo, MD, FACS, Medical Director of Urology at our hospital near Atlanta. The degree of dysfunction depends on many factors, including the patients overall health, co-existing medical problems, as well as the patients level of sexual function and ability before treatment.

    What Will I Learn By Reading This

    Dr. David Samadi – Side Effects of Traditional Prostate Surgery

    When you have treatment for your prostate cancer, you may have erectile dysfunction also known as impotence. Erectile dysfunction is a very common side effect . Side effects from prostate cancer treatment are different from one man to the next. They may also be different from one treatment to the next. Some men have no erectile dysfunction. The good news is that there are ways to deal with erectile dysfunction. In this booklet you will learn:

    • What erectile dysfunction is
    • Why prostate cancer treatment can cause erectile dysfunction
    • What can be done about erectile dysfunction
    • How erectile dysfunction may affect your sex life
    • What your partner can expect

    It is important for you to learn how to deal with erectile dysfunction so that you can continue to have a satisfying intimate relationship.

    Recommended Reading: How To Shrink Prostate Gland

    Types Of Prostate Surgery

    There are several ways of removing the prostate keyhole surgery either by hand or robot-assisted, and open surgery.

    Although robot-assisted keyhole surgery is the newest technique, the most recent research suggests all three techniques are as good as each other for treating prostate cancer, as long as the surgeon is experienced. They also have similar rates of side effects.

    The advantages of keyhole surgery, both by hand and robot-assisted, are that you are likely to lose less blood, have less pain, spend less time in hospital, and heal more quickly than with open surgery.

    Keyhole surgery

    Keyhole surgery .

    • Robot-assisted keyhole surgery Your surgeon makes five or six small cuts in your lower abdomen and a slightly bigger cut near your belly button, and removes the prostate using special surgical tools. These include a thin, lighted tube with a small camera on the tip. The image will appear on a screen so the surgeon can see what theyre doing. Your surgeon controls the tools from a console in the operating room via four or five robotic arms. Although its called robot-assisted, its still a surgeon who does the operation. You may hear the equipment called the da Vinci® Robot.
    • Keyhole surgery by hand As with robot-assisted keyhole surgery, the surgeon will make four or five small cuts in your abdomen. But they will hold the surgical tools in their hands, rather than using robotic arms.

    Open surgery

    Advantages And Disadvantages Of Surgery

    What may be important for one person might be less important for someone else. The advantages and disadvantages of surgery may depend on your age, general health and the stage of your cancer.

    Advantages

    • If the cancer is completely contained inside the prostate, surgery will remove all of the cancer.
    • The prostate is looked at under a microscope to give a clearer picture of how aggressive your cancer is, whether it has spread outside your prostate and if you need further treatment.
    • Your health professionals can get a good idea of whether your cancer was completely removed during surgery. Your PSA level should drop so low that its not possible to detect it at six to eight weeks after surgery.
    • If there are signs that your cancer has come back or wasnt all removed, you may be able to have further treatment.
    • Some men find it reassuring to know that their prostate has been physically removed, although you will still need to have follow-up tests to make sure no cancer cells have spread outside the prostate.

    Disadvantages

    Also Check: Prostate Biopsy Risks Spreading Cancer

    When To Call Your Doctor Or Nurse

    Its important to tell your doctor or nurse if:

    • your bladder feels full or your catheter isnt draining urine
    • your catheter leaks or falls out
    • your urine contains blood clots, turns cloudy, dark or red, or has a strong smell
    • your wound area or the tip of your penis becomes red, swollen or painful
    • you have a fever
    • you feel sick or vomit
    • you get cramps in your stomach area that will not go away
    • you get pain or swelling in the muscles in your lower legs.

    Your doctor or nurse will let you know if you should go to the hospital.

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