Advice On The Latest Prostate Cancer Treatments
By Caroline Bourke
Prostate cancer is the most common occurring cancer in men worldwide, and thus is an incredibly serious issue. Prostate cancer is a cancer that occurs in the prostate gland, which is part of the male reproductive system. The prostate gland is the size of a large walnut, and it is located just below the bladder and next to the urethra.
Prostate cancer starts in the glandular tissue of the prostate gland, and although the exact cause of this cancer is unknown, what is known is that the cancer most often occurs in men over the age of fifty, with married men for some reason being at much higher risk than single men.
Prostate Cancer Treatments
Although as of yet there is no cure for prostate cancer, there are various prostate cancer treatments that are available to help you. One of the most common prostate cancer treatments is surgery, and surgical removal of the prostate, also known as radical prostatectomy, is available to many men who are suffering from localized prostate cancer.
This surgery involves the removal of the prostate and as well the surrounding tissues, a specified portion of the urethra, and the seminal vesicles. During the surgery when the prostate is being removed, the surgeon will attempt to save the nerves that are surrounding the prostate, those which are responsible for erections. This however is not guaranteed.
External beam radiation is another of the more common prostate cancer treatments, and it is one that is more readily available, and in which beams of high-energy radiation are directed from outside the body towards a target inside of the body. Hormone therapy is yet another of the most popular prostate cancer treatments, and is actually one of the oldest means of treating prostate cancer as well.
Hormone therapy is also known as androgen deprivation therapy, and the point or goal of it is to reduce levels of the male hormones, or androgens, in the body, as these can actually be responsible for helping the disease to spread. Therefore, lowering the levels of these androgens will often make the prostate cancer shrink or at least grow more slowly.
Hormone therapy is typically used in the following situations: if your prostate cancer remains or comes back after treatment with surgery or radiation therapy, as an addition to radiation therapy as initial treatment if you are at high risk for cancer recurrence, before surgery or radiation to try and shrink the cancer to make other treatments more effective, and if you are not able to have surgery or radiation treatments.
The particular type of treatment that you should use for your prostate cancer will be decided by your doctor, and you should never attempt getting involved with any method of treatment without referral from your physician first.
Caroline Bourke is a full time health therapist in Florida. Check out this informative Prostate Health site for more resources and articles.
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