Prostate Cancer Symptoms Tips What is prostate cancer symptoms? We have tips about prostate cancer symptoms

Recently, there has been numerous study reports published that address the benefits of Hormone therapy combined with Radiation therapy in treating prostate cancer. This article wishes to provide readers some helpful updates with regards to the new standard treatment for prostate cancer.

In 1995 to 2005, a randomized study was jointly conducted by the National Cancer Institute of Canada, the United Kingdom Medical Research Council and the Southwest Oncology Group in the United States. 1,205 men with high risk prostate cancer in the United States, Canada and in United Kingdom were part of the study. These men were assigned with either receiving hormone therapy alone or a combined hormone therapy (with external beam radiation treatment). Follow ups were made among patients for an average of at least 6 years and findings from this study presents that adding radiation therapy significantly reduced the risk of death among the study group given with the combined therapy.

In another study report published by Bolla et al from an EORTC study in 1997 showed an increase in the probability of a progression-free and overall survival of European patients diagnosed with a locally advance prostate cancer high risk (T1-2 and T3-4NO-1MO) tumors. Patients who were given external beam radiation therapy plus an adjuvant hormonal therapy for three years showed an increase in survival rates compared to the patients who received external beam radiation therapy alone. Additional data from the American studies show similar results. According to this study, two to three years of hormone therapy combined with radiotherapy improves survival among patients but is accompanied by a number of adverse effects such as impotence, hot flashes and risk of acquiring heart attacks.

Horwitz et al reported a US study (RTOG 92-02) in 2008 that radiotherapy plus extended adjuvant hormone therapy for 28 months increased the probability of the disease-free survival and disease-specific survival rates among its study group. The group who received a combined therapy obtained a lower probability of a local progression of the prostate tumor and biochemical failure rates were also lowered. The combined therapy prevented further metastasis (spread) among its study group compared to the radiation therapy group. Overall the survival rates in this study showed an increase rates among patients with a pre-treatment Gleason score of 8-10 with no metastasis to the lymph node or the pelvis with a PSA level of 150 ng/ml and below.

Prostate cancer is believed to be caused by an exposure to the male hormones testosterone. An increase in the testosterone levels in the body stimulates prostate cancer cells to grow. Hormone therapy is given to patients diagnosed with prostate cancer as a means to decease the testosterone levels in the body, it is also referred as the Androgen Deprivation Therapy (in which production of male hormones are prevented). Radiation therapy is given to directly kill and destroy the cancer cells by using external beam radiation.

Numerous studies conclude that combination of hormone therapy plus radiation therapy promotes good survival rates. Hormone therapy helps by reducing tumor growth. It also potentiates killing of the cancer cells when combined with radiotherapy.

Urieashashlu Ul is an experienced prostate cancer health expert who has been helping people with prostate cancer. You can visit his site to learn more about the prostate cancer treatments.

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HIFU (high-intensity focused ultrasound) uses high-energy sound waves to destroy prostate cancer cells without radiation. Intersecting, precision-focused ultrasound waves raise the temperature within the targeted cancerous tissue greater than 80-90 degrees Celsius in seconds, effectively destroying the tissue.

Unlike radiation therapies, ultrasound energy is non-ionizing "clean energy" that doesn't damage tissue surrounding the target zone. The objective zone is approximately 1/8 inch in diameter, which permits greater precision than radiation therapies. Unlike radiation therapy, HIFU treatments can even be repeated in the event that the disease recurs locally. HIFU may also be used like a salvage therapy following failed radiation therapy.

The HIFU procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, meaning a hospital stay is often not necessary. The procedure is performed under spinal or general anesthesia and typically takes approximately 2-3 hours. During the procedure, a tiny probe is inserted into the rectum which generates and emits the ultrasound energy that is precisely targeted to the prostate. Physician will monitor the prostate all the way through the procedure using real-time ultrasound images to maximize prostate cancer destruction and minimize injury to other vital tissues.

HIFU treatment for prostate cancer has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, up to now, over 6,000 men have undergone HIFU at over 100 International HIFU Centers throughout the globe. Every year, over 40,000 men with prostate cancer who are treated with radiation have their cancers return. The majority will decide on hormonal therapy in an attempt to control their cancer. Hormonal therapy prohibits the production of testosterone in order to decelerate the cancer's growth. However, lowering of testosterone might cause unwanted effects just like osteoporosis, increased risk of heart attack, stroke, loss of libido, depression, loss of mental acuity and impotence. HIFU is radiation free and destroys residual cancer within the prostate using clean ultrasound energy. In a small U.S. safety trial, 91% of the participants had a negative biopsy 6 months after the HIFU treatment.

The typical short-term unintended effects associated with radiation therapy include fatigue, urinary and rectal symptoms. Urinary symptoms might include frequency, urgency, urge incontinence, nocturia and diminished urinary stream. Rectal symptoms may include diarrhea, fecal incontinence, rectal bleeding and rectal urgency. Generally, the urinary and rectal symptoms are transient. In addition, erectile dysfunction often develops months or years after radiation therapy. Long-term complications are rare and include rectal or urinary fistulas, urinary strictures, hemorrhagic cystitis and proctitis (chronic bleeding from the rectum and bladder) and dysfunctional bladder or rectum as a result of scarring. There is increasing evidence that men undergoing pelvic radiation are at significantly greater risk of developing bladder and colon cancer.

Salvage radical prostatectomy is also a great challenging technical procedure because of the prostate is embedded in a fibrous scar produced by radiation. Therefore, minimally invasive ablative therapies are gaining increasing acceptance for the treatment of recurrent prostate cancer after failed radiation therapy that is indeed HIFU. Many patients who have had radiation therapy, brachytherapy or external beam radiation experience an increase in PSA have discovered that the cancer is back. These patients may be candidates for HIFU also, so long as the cancer has not spread to the bone or other organs. Moreover, patients that have a local recurrence after receiving an intensive prostatectomy may also qualify for HIFU.

Richard R. Lotenfoe, MD, is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and Board Certified Urological Surgeon in Orlando, Florida. He specializes in the treatment of prostate cancer using the HIFU procedure.The HIFU Treatment uses ultrasound to destroy prostate cancer cells. Dr. Richard R. Lotenfoe is the Founder of Orlando-based Urology Health Solutions Inc., and CEO of Innovative Technologies, LLC.Since establishing his Orlando practice in 1999, he has been firmly committed to embracing minimally invasive technology and perfecting the latest urological surgical techniques. Since 1994 he has been one of a select group of Urological Surgeons in the United States skilled enough to offer the latest surgical procedures to his patients, which improve surgical outcomes, while minimizing pain and discomfort associated with traditional surgeries.

http://hifu.md/
Central FL Prostate Care Center
410 Celebration Place
Celebration, FL 34747
Toll Free: (877) 458-8443
Local: (407) 584-7771

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Assessing the outcome of radiation treatment for prostate cancer is both confusing and difficult. The ultimate outcome measure for the treatment of all forms of cancer is the number of people who die from it, but prostate deaths may not occur until ten, fifteen, or more years after treatment. Because the average age of men with prostate cancer who are treated with radiation has traditionally been older than that of men treated with surgery, many will die from other causes before living long enough to ascertain whether or not their prostate cancer would have killed them.

In lieu of using death as an outcome measure, most researchers on radiation treatment use a rising PSA level, as do those who measure the outcome of surgical treatment. However, there is a major difference: following surgical removal of the prostate, the PSA level is expected to drop to zero; following radiation treatment, this is not always the case. Radiation is expected to kill all the cancer cells, but not necessarily all the normal prostate cells. The same is true in radiation treatments for cancers of the breast or pituitary gland; radiation is expected to kill all cancer cells but not all normal cells, so the breast and pituitary continue to function after radiation treatments have been completed.

Following radiation treatment for prostate cancer, the PSA is expected to fall, but the level of which it is expected to fall is widely debated. Some researchers say it should become less than 1.0, others 0.5, and other 0.3.

Assessing the recurrence of cancer following radiation treatment is still more complicated, however, because of what is called the PSA bounce. In approximately one third of men treated with radiation, PSA levels increase one to three years after treatments, then return to a lower level. This rise does not signify the recurrence of cancer but is instead thought to be caused by a delayed release of PSA from irradiated cancer cells. The PSA increase associated with the bounce may last for as long as a year. During this time, there is no way tot ell whether the PSA increase is merely a PSA bounce that has no clinical significance, or whether the PSA increase is merely a PSA bounce that has no clinical significance, or whether it indicates a failure of radiation treatment and a recurrence of the cancer. If it is a PSA bounce, it will go back down; if not, it will continue to rise. Despite the problems in assessing the effectiveness of radiation treatment using the PSA, there is a strong evidence that the lower the PSA goes after radiation, the less are the chances of recurrence.

Comparing the outcomes of different studies of radiation treatment also generates problems. Some studies use the ASTRO guidelines, while other studies modify those guidelines or use an absolute PSA nadir, such as 1.0 or 0.5. Statistical problems are abundant: some studies use the actual numbers for the follow up period and other estimate future number based on the follow- up period.

Here you can find all the tips and info on prostate cancer symptoms and Symptoms of Prostate Problems. Whether you are new to the topic or an expert, make sure to learn more about prostate cancer.

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There is a quicker treatment to eliminate prostate cancer. This treatment is believed to rapidly kill cancer cells and prevent cancer from spreading to other areas in the body. This treatment is known as the radiation therapy of the prostate. Radiation therapy is the primary treatment prescribed by most doctors to patients diagnosed with cancer. This type of therapy is used as a means to control malignant cancers and tumors in the body. There are two available types of therapy, external and internal. This article focuses its information on the external type of therapy of the prostate.

The external type of therapy of the prostate makes use of external beam radiation. The machine eliminates a concentrated beam of radiation that targets and kills prostate cancer cells. It is believed that having high concentrated beams of energy waves damages the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) of the cells in the body. When the cells are destroyed, cancer cells are also damaged therefore rapid cancer cell division is disrupted.

The process of this therapy makes use of a linear accelerator that is placed one meter apart from the patient. The linear accelerator produces high-energy external radiation beams that penetrate to the tissues and deliver uniform doses deep into the areas where the cancer resides. Patients receiving external beams are considered to be non-radioactive because the energy waves comes from an outside source and is not left inside the body. Doses of external beams are given at small fractioned waves. It is usually given once a day, five days in a week for five to nine weeks range. No therapy sessions given during weekends to allow the body to recover from the effects of the therapy.

External radiation therapy have available subtypes which includes, standard external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). All of the subtypes are similar to each other; they all produce high energy intensity beams. The difference of each type is based on the regulation, direction, side effects and accuracy of high energy beams produced. Standard external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) has limited beam directions; it has vertical and horizontal linear beam directions leaving other areas of the body vulnerable to receive radiation.

As an effect, this procedure produces a number of side effects. 3DCRT on the other hand is a procedure that makes use of computer-imaging software that guides the area of target. This procedure has different angles of direction causing a more confined and accurate area of target therefore causing lesser side effects. IMRT is similar to 3DCRT but a more precise and advance type.

The side effects acquired when having radiation therapy include, urinary frequency accompanied by dysuria (painful urination), Hematuria (blood in the urine), bowel discomforts; diarrhea, rectal bleeding, pain and sexual impairments (erectile dysfunction).

Radiation therapy is the common type of treatment used when treating prostate cancer. Doctors and patients can choose among any of the available options. Having any therapy treatment is always accompanied by a number of side effects therefore doctors should provide their patients complete information with regards to its expected side effects. This therapy aims to achieve eradication of prostate cancer.

For more information about External Beam Radiation Therapy, please click here.

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The radiation so far has been pretty easy. The ladies thanked me again for the chocolates. All three helped out today. I was in and out within 45 minutes total.

Last night was pretty bad with indigestion and hiccups. Woke up in the middle of the night with really bad acid reflux. Five Rolaids controlled it. Called the doctor this morning and was told Prilosec was also ok to take, and that the compozene they gave me would help with the hiccups. Haven’t tried yet, since it might make me drowsy. I’ll probably try tonight since I have pretty bad hiccups right now.

I think I will probably take 3 days off for the next chemo. If I had been at work today it would have been a really tough day.

Writing this on my phone, so need to keep it short.

The adventure continues. ...

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Gary M. Freedman, MD, is an associate professor of radiation oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine and physician at Penn Radiation Oncology.

For more than 25 years, breast-conserving surgery and radiation therapy have been standard alternatives to mastectomy for women with early stage breast cancer. Radiation after a lumpectomy reduces the risk of a recurrence in the breast, and for some women it may also improve survival. The past decade has seen many advances in radiation that aim to preserve the high rates of success, but often must choose between optimizing the treatment delivery and reducing acute or long-term side effects, or reducing cost and convenience of care.

Hypofractionation uses fewer, larger dose radiation treatments (also called fractions) usually given over a shorter time period when compared to conventional radiation fraction sizes.

Hypofractionated radiation has been associated with a reduction in the length of a course of treatment by two to three weeks compared to conventional schedules that can last as long as six to seven weeks. This reduced length of treatment reduces cost to patients and insurance payers, reduces costs of travel or lost days of work to patients, and reduces the inconvenience of daily radiation treatments. This is particularly important in today’s national concern for cutting health care costs.

Hypofractionated whole-breast radiation has been a major subject of research outside of the United States for more than a decade. Randomized trials have been reported from Canada and the United Kingdom that show low breast recurrence rates using hypofractionation with long-term follow up of five to 10 years. In addition, these large studies did not show significant differences in cosmetic appearance of the breast or other negative side effects in women treated with a shorter course of radiation.

Despite the successful outcomes in these randomized trials from Canada and the United Kingdom, there has not been significant adoption of hypofractionation in the United States. The American Society of Radiation Oncology convened a task force of experts to make consensus recommendations. After a review of the available literature and randomized trials, consensus was reached that hypofractionation should be used only for selected patients. This recommendation was based on the many clinical questions that still remain about hypofractionation that are not able to be addressed by the data from the existing randomized trials.

At Penn Medicine, selected women meeting these optimal criteria are being offered the shortened radiation schedule. Current trials could make hypofractionation even more widely accepted for patients with early stage breast cancer. The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group opened a phase III randomized trial in May 2011 that proposes to establish a whole-breast three-week hypofractionation schedule that can be applied to a broader patient population. The study will compare typical whole breast radiation given over four and a half to six and a half weeks to a shorter schedule of only three weeks.

In summary, prospective randomized trials outside of the United States have established the principle that hypofractionation may be used with acceptable low side effects and equally low breast recurrence rates as conventional fractionation. However, for hypofractionation to become more widely applied in the United States, more data are needed about the optimal radiation techniques and limits on patient eligibility. This data may come from a newly opened phase III trial in the RTOG now opening at Penn Medicine and locations across the country. If successful, hypofractionation may be more widely accepted for use in the majority of patients with early stage breast cancer in the United States.


Learn more about radiation therapy for breast cancer at Penn Medicine.

The Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) is pleased to present the Focus on Women's Cancers Conference featuring:

• 20th Life After Breast Cancer
• 10th Focus On Gynecologic Cancers
• Focus On Your Risk of Breast and Ovarian Cancer

Friday, October 28, 2011
7:30 am to 3:30 pm



Register and view the full agenda at The Abramson Cancer Center, or register by phone at 800-789-PENN(7366).

Please register for only one conference but feel free on the day of the conference to attend sessions at any of the 3 conferences.


Portions of the program will be livestreamed at PennMedicine.org/Abramson/WomensCancersLIVE on the day of the conference.

A 12-year breast cancer survivor, Gail Slappy was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in April 2009. Upon being diagnoses, Gail began receiving treatment at Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center. When she retires from a teaching career this upcoming Spring, Gail plans on volunteering at the Abramson Cancer Center.
I’m a 12-year survivor of breast cancer. I was shocked that I was having another recurrence of cancer.

The multidisciplinary approach

Then, Dr. Ginsberg and I began to talk. I’m familiar with Dr. Ginsberg because he has been treating me over the years. He told me how he would handle my cancer treatment. Then, a team of doctors came in and discussed how I would be treated. The team consisted of Ursina Teitelbaum, MD, a hematology/oncologist; John Plastaras, MD, a radiation oncologist; and Ernest F. Rosato, MD, a surgeon. We all discussed how my case would be handled.

I felt quite relieved and confident that I was receiving the best treatment possible. There was a comprehensive team of doctors, and everyone was consulting with one another about my treatment.

Compassionate care

Throughout my experience at Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center, I felt supported. Everyone was just so compassionate towards me and my care. I would receive phone calls at home asking how I was doing.

At my lowest point, I grew quite weak from the combination of radiation and chemotherapy. When I would go to receive therapy, everyone understood how I was feeling and treated me with the most compassion I could ever receive. One time, when I was receiving radiation, one of the radiation therapists talked to me so nicely. The nature of his voice and the way he spoke to me so calmly let me know I would be alright. It truly made all of the difference. He even said that I looked great even though I felt lousy and I probably looked lousy too! He was endearing and he helped me a great deal.

After I had my surgery, the nursing staff and the doctors in the hospital were so kind and gentle. They helped me through the whole process. Everyone was very concerned, very attentive, and genuinely interested in my care, my progress, and my recovery. People always asked what they could do to make me comfortable and how they could help me. That was the sentiment throughout my whole recovery at the hospital.

That’s why I like the comprehensive approach at the Abramson Cancer Center because everyone is in dialogue with one another. They are constantly updating each other on your condition, and making sure that you are okay.

Giving back
I’ve been recovering from my illness. I’m a teacher, and I plan to retire in June. Once I heal, I want to give back. I plan on volunteering at the Abramson Cancer Center. I want to help other individuals who may be diagnosed with cancer and help them get through it. I want them to know it’s not a death sentence or the end of the world. In spite of the seriousness of the illness, you can conquer it. You can be a champion.