What do Louis Farrakhan, Rudy Giuliani, Nelson Mandela, and Arnold Palmer have in common? They all had prostate cancer and curiously at each approached treatment of it a somewhat different way. Yet each share a positive long-term prognosis.
Which emphasizes a common theme when it comes to treating prostate cancer. There is no one surefire treatment option that is best for everyone so diagnosed.
This also suggests that it's somewhat risky to leave the decision of which treatment option to embrace to your family doctor or urologist no matter how good intentioned they may be.
So you need to cover your bases.
First you need to figure out what your options are. Some find it helpful to go to a support group. Others research such things on their own on the Internet. Then you need to decide.
Obviously you want to get input from your doctor who is intimately familiar with your specific situation. Just make sure it's the right kind of input. To be sure it used to be the case for you, you could ask your doctor what to do, get their response, and react accordingly.
Now at the very least you want to get a second, and maybe even a third opinion.
You should approach this quest for knowledge from the perspective of tapping the information available in the medical community. You want to get a firm grasp of your choices. You want to involve your family most especially your wife. And you do not want to feel like there was a rush to judgment when it comes to treatment options.
And don't be surprised if you're told that watchful waiting is the best course of action. It can be and for sure eliminates any worries you may have about the bothersome side effects that accompany so many prostate cancer treatments. Just keep in mind this is usually reserved for guys 70 and older who have a slow growing tumor.
You want to do all this research and checking with the mindset that you will not find one best treatment for prostate cancer.
Also do all this with the mindset that unless told otherwise prostate cancer generally is not an aggressive type of cancer. Most often it is a slow-growing problem. There is no need to make a quick and ill-advised decision since you're got plenty of time to thoroughly check out your options.
Now as disheartening as finding out you have prostate cancer the cure rate is actually very high - if caught early enough.
There's also something to be said for the range of treatment options available anymore. As of right now there are seven primary ways to go about treating prostate cancer that are available to you. They would include surgery, radiation treatments, hormone and biologic therapy, chemotherapy, and high intensity focused ultrasound, although that's only an option as a clinical trial since the FDA has yet to approve it.
Which might be best for you depends on your cancer, your age, and your overall health status.
Those in good health should certainly consider surgery. It offers the greatest chance to be completely cured. Since this involves complete removal of the prostate gland itself and some surrounding tissue, the cancerous cells are removed as well. Anymore minimally invasive techniques allow the surgeon to accomplish this with either a smaller incision or laparoscopically.
There are certainly trade-offs when it comes to side effects. But for younger guys, odds of preserving your sexual potency are better than you might expect.
Coming in a close second for those with early stage cancer would be radiation treatments. Applying the radiation externally involves a series of treatments delivered to the tumor as an outpatient. They can last two months or more. Currently it is possible to hone in on the cancer using image guided radiation treatments. That both improves the cure rate and minimizes the chance of collateral damage.
Those who want radiation but are concerned about the risk of side effects may instead opt for brachytherapy. Here, rice-sized radioactive pellets are inserted into the prostate and left there. They target and eliminate the cancer.
Cryotherapy is another not included in the list. This uses liquid nitrogen to freeze and kill the cancer cells. Unfortunately some studies report the risk to sexual potency is high which accounts for the waning enthusiasm for this approach.
Harnessing your immune system, chemo therapy and hormonal therapy are for more advanced cases. You might look at these as the last line of defense against prostate cancer because these are turned to when the body does not respond to all other treatments. Considering that prostate cancer prognosis at this time is poor.
All treatment options put you at risk for incontinence and impotency. And fear of being left sexy impotent is the oft cited reason why many men postpone, defer, or refuse treatment for prostate cancer. Because this strikes at the very heart of your manhood. Certainly facing the prospect of life without sex is not an easy choice. But let's be real. Let's not lose sight of the big picture here. Is sex, or lack thereof, really worth risking or losing your life over?
