Benign prostatic hyperplasia may or may not require surgery. When a doctor comes back to a patient with a diagnosis, a patient may ask what the diagnosis means and what he can do about it. The answer will not be prostate cancer surgery because the patient does not have cancer. The patient simply has an enlarged gland. Medical professionals will avoid recommending surgery unless it is absolutely necessary. A good doctor will seek for non-surgical procedures first.
Patients who come back with a different diagnosis may not fare so well. Doctors will prescribe chemotherapy, non-invasive procedures or prostate cancer surgery depending on how far the cancer has spread and the size of the tumor. He may recommend a laparoscopic prostatectomy. The patient may take some time to digest the news. No one ever wants to hear the first diagnosis, and the second suggestion often causes a person to experience a deeper level of shock.
The laparoscopic prostatectomy may sound scary but hundreds of men each year undergo the procedure. It does not necessarily require the entire removal of the prostate gland. The side effects remain the same for other types of treatment for prostate cancer. A man may become impotent, incontinent or suffer increased sexual desire after undergoing the surgery. All three may happen. Other side effects include prolonged pain.
The advantages of this type of surgery over the more traditional radical prostectomy is that it does not require removal of the entire glans. The goal is to remove the tumor. Additional advantages include a reduced amount of blood loss and an increased recovery time. The cancer recovery rites from either type of surgery are comparable. The survival rate with any type of cancer relies on early detection in the patient.
No one wants to hear his doctor says he has cancer. Even benign prostatic hyperplasia does not bode well for most men. Both conditions often start with increased urination, particularly during the night. Taking care of both problems will usually solve the first symptom. Malignant cells cause many more problems if they are left unchecked. Even if they are not left unchecked, the process of chemotherapy causes many problems.
If the patient can find little comfort in the situation, it is the fact that the surgery is unlikely to cause fatal complications. Doctors will understand a desire to seek a second opinion, but they may recommend not to take too long on getting the second opinion.
The Prostate Clinic, treatment and complete care for all the diseases and conditions which affect the prostate, urinary and reproductive system. Please visit our website at http://www.theprostateclinic.com/
