Medical Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer
It is essential that you receive treatment for your prostate cancer as quickly as possible. Giving yourself time to decide which treatment is best is recommended, however, the treatment should only be put off for as long as necessary to decide. Early treatment is the best chance of cure, and this is extremely important. There are many different medical treatments for prostate cancer, and we will go into some of the most popular ones briefly below.Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy –
This is the most common type of surgery performed in cases of prostate cancer. This surgery involves removing the prostate, as well as some of the surrounding tissue. This will hopefully remove all of the cancer cells, and cure the cancer. You will be placed under general anesthesia, or be given an epidural and a sedative. An epidural is a procedure in which you are completely numbed from the waist down.
The doctor will make an incision in your abdomen, from the belly button to the pubic bone. Through this incision, your doctor will remove the prostate gland, and if the lymph notes are cancerous as well, he will remove these. There are some side effects that may come of this operation, including impotency. This is because there are 2 small bundles of nerves that run on either side of the prostate, which govern erections. If these are infected with the cancer, they will have to be removed. This will result in the inability to achieve or maintain an erection, although special things can be done which will help with that issue.
Radical Perineal Prostatectomy –
This surgical procedure is performed for the same reason as the Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy, however, instead of making the incision in the abdomen, the doctor or specialist will make the incision in the Perineal area of the patient. This is the section between the rectum and the scrotum in a male. This is a much quicker surgical procedure than the first, however, there is a small chance of saving the erection nerves, and the lymph nodes cannot be reached or removed from this area. This procedure usually lasts from 1 and ½ to 4 hours, and you will remain in the hospital for around 3 or 4 days.
Laparascopic Prostatectomy –
Although this operation is for the same result as the first two, the method is quite different. Instead of an open surgery, where a large incision is made, this surgery is done with several smaller incisions and the use of a camera which the doctor or specialist can utilize to see the prostate. Then he uses special tools to remove the prostate and anything else he needs to remove as well.
With all of these surgeries, there is a risk of infection or internal bleeding. You are usually able to donate your own blood before the surgery, so that you have a reserve in the case of needing a blood transfusion. Removing all of the cancerous cells will cure the cancer, if all of the cells were able to be found. This is the first step in your recovery and if all the cells were removed then an after treatment program can begin.
