What Are The Latest Treatments For Prostate Cancer?
I was twelve years old, the youngest of three children, and that night my world turned upside down. Dad had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and it was time for us to be told. After invasive surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone treatment, my father survived another ten years before passing away. Forty five years on the feelings of helplessness remain.
Forty five years later there still is no cure, though medical advancements have leveled the playing field considerably. As you look at the statistical data, you will see why the battle to end cancer is so important.
In 2003 alone, there were 220,000 new cases discovered and a total of 29,000 prostate cancer fatalities. Overall statistics reveal that risk factors increase with age, which explains why 75 percent of new prostate detections will be in men 65 years and older. If you have a family history of prostate cancer, it is up to ten percent more likely that you will suffer from prostate cancer.
Despite the grim statistical data, there are three major offensives being waged against this deadly disease in the forms of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Studies reveal that proper diet, rest, and regular exercise raise your chances of staying cancer free. Make a decision to be proactive.
Active information campaigns, advertisements, and screenings are available and more convenient than in the past. Men over the age of fifty should receive yearly screenings for prostate cancer. Digital rectal exams are still used for detection, in addition to the standard list of symptoms which include frequent and painful urination, blood in the urine, and slow or labored urine flow.
The level of prostate specific antigens normally present in blood is somewhere between 0-4. When the PSA level is above the normal range or elevates significantly between check ups, it indicates a greater likelihood of cancer. African-American males and those with a family history of prostate cancer should be screened.
There are many differing views on treatment strategies for prostate cancer patients. Whereas prostate removal and chemotherapy have been the traditional treatment for cancer, medical technology now gives patients options that are more effective while causeing less pain and discomfort.
External Beam therapy delivers a beam of high energy x-rays directly to the tumor. This treatment is advantageous because it is so highly targeted, meaning that the tumor is exposed to the bulk of the radiation while the rest of the body is unharmed.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy uses computer controlled linear accelerators to deliver an even more intense and precise beam of radiation to the tumor. The IMRT is able to make adjustments to the target cells, which helps target the occasional shift in the prostate gland’s location.
The great benefit of using these types of precision radiation beams is the avoidance of the normal surrounding tissue. Previously, incontinence, impotency, and permanent loss of sexual function were common side effects of prostate treatment, but this is now a thing of the past.
Oakwood Cancer Center, located in Mechanicsburg, PA, offers the community state-of-the-art Mechanicsburg PA Cancer Treatment technology and know-how. The clinic specializes in breast cancer treatment and gamma knife cancer surgery and provides service to Harrisburg and Mechanicsburg Pennsylvania.
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