Prostate cancer is a very real risk for many men today. In fact, American males have a 17% chance of a prostate cancer diagnosis within their lifetime. Furthermore, those chances increase with age.
The good news is that morbidity rates are on the decline. This improvement is very likely to be from a combination of early detection modalities and medial advancements in treatment protocols.
If a disease is detected in the early stages, three standard treatments apply: radiation, surgery, and a method called “active surveillance” or more commonly known as watchful waiting. Because it may be challenging to determine which treatment option will be most effective, the best choice for any given patient is to better understand the specific characteristics of his tumor.
As an example, if a particular tumor becomes life-threatening, then an aggressive treatment approach would be chosen. Conversely, if the tumor present as benign then it is likely no treatment would be needed.
As every patient has different symptoms for prostate cancer very often present in varied ways. While some men do not show any symptoms, others experience one or many others including difficulty in urination or weak stream; painful urination; blood in urine; frequent visits to the bathroom; and, unmitigated pain in the back, pelvis, or hips.
Within the surgical realm, the nature of the tumor is paramount. For example, if the tumor is contained within the prostate entirely, a surgical technique can remove the entire gland in a procedure known as a radical prostatectomy.
Once your treatment plan has been implemented, after-care is extremely important. Many recovering patients feel stress after a corrective procedure. Managing stress and eating a proper diet will help you cope with the aftermath of prostate cancer treatment.
