Medical Treatments for Prostate CancerThere are many different medical treatments for prostate cancer that involve the clinical care of a healthcare professional. These treatments include expectant therapy, surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy. Expectant therapy is to carefully observe and monitor the prostate cancer. Because prostate cancer cells often spread very slowly, many older men who have the disease may not need more extensive treatment. However, expectant therapy usually includes routine physician examinations, including digital rectal exams and PSA tests. The different types of surgery for prostate cancer are radical prostatectomy - an open-surgery procedure in which the entire prostate gland and surrounding tissue are removed. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) - surgery to remove part of the prostate gland that surrounds the urethra. Cryosurgery - this procedure involves killing the cancer cells by freezing them with a small metal tool placed in the tumor. Side effects of prostate cancer surgery include incontinence and impotence. Incontinence is the inability to control urine and may result in dribbling of urine, especially immediately after surgery. Normal control usually returns within weeks or months after surgery. Impotence is the inability to achieve an erection. For a month, or so, after surgery, most men are not able to get an erection. Eventually, approximately 40 to 60 percent of men will be able to get an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, but without ejaculation of semen, since removal of the prostate gland prevents that process.Radiation therapy uses high energy rays to kill or shrink cancer cells, and to decrease their ability to divide. Radiation is often used to treat prostate cancer that is still confined to the prostate gland, or has spread only to nearby tissue. If the disease is advanced, radiation may be used to reduce the size of the tumor and to provide relief from symptoms. Possible side effects of radiation for prostate cancer may include diarrhea, with or without blood in the stool, and colitis, problems associated with urination, a degree of impotence (inability to get an erection), which may occur within two years of radiation therapy. The goal of hormone therapy is to lower the level of male hormones in the body, particularly testosterone. Hormone therapy does not cure the cancer, and is often used to treat persons whose cancer has spread or recurred after treatment. Produced mainly in the testicles, testosterone causes prostate cancer cells to grow. Thus, reduced testosterone levels can make the prostate cancer shrink and become less active. Most studies show that hormone therapy works better if it is started early. Chemotherapy is the use of powerful, anti-cancer medications to kill cancer cells.. Hospitalization may be needed to monitor treatment and chemotherapy's side effects. Common side effects of chemotherapy include: nausea and vomiting, hair loss, anemia, reduced ability of blood to clot, mouth sores, increased likelihood of developing infections, fatigue. Most side effects disappear once treatment is stopped. |
| blood cancer prostate test |
|
Screening for prostate cancer At the moment, there is no single, effective screening test for early prostate cancer in healthy men. The use of the PSA blood test as part of a screening ACS :: Can Prostate Cancer Be Found Early? Although DRE is less effective than the PSA blood test in finding prostate cancer, it can sometimes find cancers in men with normal PSA levels. Prostate Cancer: What You Need to Know -- familydoctor.org Another way to check for prostate cancer is with a blood test called the PSA test. PSA is short for prostate-specific antigen. Men who have prostate cancer More Reliable Blood Test For Prostate Cancer Shows Promise US scientists are hopeful that a blood test for a newly discovered protein will vastly increase the reliability of screening for prostate cancer. A Better Blood Test For Prostate Cancer New studies of a blood protein recently identified at Johns Hopkins, early prostate cancer antigen-2 (EPCA-2), may change the way men are screened for New Prostate Cancer Test May Detect More Tumors - washingtonpost.com An experimental blood test for prostate cancer may help eliminate tens of thousands of unnecessary biopsies at the same time that it detects many tumors Nano News - Researchers Identify Better Blood Test For Prostate "A blood test based on EPCA-2 may greatly improve our ability to accurately detect prostate cancer early and minimize the number of false positives, Prostate cancer tests There is more about the PSA blood test in the section on screening for prostate cancer. PSA blood tests are also used to monitor your treatment or decide Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Test - WebMD Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: Common Tests, Prostate Cancer Tests, Digital Rectal Examination for Prostate Problems, Prostate-Specific Antigen Blood Test: The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test: Q & A - National Cancer A fact sheet that describes the PSA screening test for prostate cancer and The PSA test measures the level of PSA in the blood (see Question 1). New Blood Test for Prostate Cancer An experimental blood test for prostate cancer seems to work better than the current PSA test -- and can tell whether the cancer is spreading. |
| blood cancer prostate test |
|
best hospital prostate cancer alternative complementary treatment prostate cancer cancer cryogenic prostate treatment gland prostate stimulate |