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Writer's pictureGitesh Chawla

Understanding Prostate Cancer: Symptoms, Treatment Options, and Managing Surgery Side Effects

Prostate cancer is considered as one of the most frequent types of cancer that affect men all over the globe. The condition should be detected at the initial stages and timely treated since part of the patients’ quality of life and their survival can be determined by timely treatment. This blog post will focus on the different signs of transitional prostate carcinoma, the types of therapy accessible to the cancer-suffering patients and the possible side-effects of a particular kind of therapy – surgery. 


Able to identify the signs and symptoms Prostate Cancer 

Prostate cancer is a gradual disease, in earlier stages of aggressiveness symptoms are not observed. However, as the cancer progresses, several signs and symptoms may become apparent: 


  • Frequent Urination: Proteinuria: Frequent desire to urinate particularly at night is a common indicates that one is experiencing one or the other of the two conditions. This may be coupled with the problem of achieving a standing start or a standing halt to urination. 

  • Weak or Interrupted Urine Flow: In this case, men with the prostate cancer might stopping or greatly reducing the strength of their urine stream, and they might feel as if their bladder is not completely empty. 

  • Blood in Urine or Semen: Haematuria or haemospermia, which is the presence of blood in the urine or semen respectively is a clear sign which should be followed by a visit to the doctor as soon as possible. 

  • Pain or Discomfort: Any unbearable sensation in the gential area, lumbar region up to the thigh may signify the complications of prostate cancer. 

  • Erectile Dysfunction: Impotence can also manifest through having problems in getting an erection or in maintaining it and this may be due to the fact that the cancer has spread to tissues in the vicinity. 


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Prostate Cancer Treatment Options 

 After the diagnosis, the management of PC is determined by several aspects, including the extent of cancer, individual’s health, and his preferences. Here are the primary treatment options: 


  • Active Surveillance: The patient may be advised to have active surveillance especially if he has low-risk and slow-growing prostate cancer. This includes following the cancer through PSA testing, DRE and biopsies, initiating no aggressive treatment until the cancer starts becoming aggressive. 

  • Surgery (Prostatectomy): It is important to note that for stage one prostate cancer, the primary curative treatment is surgical removal of the gland also referred to as prostatectomy. 


There are different types of prostatectomy, including: 


  • Radical Prostatectomy: The total gland and sometimes some of the tissue around it is removed from the patient’s body.

  • Laparoscopic Prostatectomy: Telesurgery meaning operations performed through small incisions with the surgeon using a camera to guide him. 

  • Robotic-Assisted Prostatectomy: A specific group of operations that is carried with the use of laparoscopes and electronics assistance in the form of robots. 

  • Radiation Therapy: Radiation therapy involves the use of high energy rays or particles to destroy cancer cells. It can be external as in external beam radiation therapy or internal as in the brachytherapy through the use of seeds. 

  • Hormone Therapy: I afford same importance as androgen deprivation therapy (ADT, although that this type of treatment is aimed to decrease levels of male hormones that can encourage the growth of cancerous cells in the prostate gland. It is common to be employed alongside other treatments or in end-stage malignant growth. 

  • Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy utilises drugs to kill cancer cells: usually, where the cancer has metastasised to other areas of the body or when hormone treatment has ceased to be effective. 

  • Cryotherapy: This form of treatment is done through cryosurgery which entails freezing as well as ablating the malignant tissue of the prostate gland. It is most commonly given as a first-line chemotherapy when the cancer is limited and localized or as a second-line treatment following radiotherapy. 

  • Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy enhances the ability of the immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells. An example is sipuleucel-T a vaccine indicated for men with advanced prostate cancer whose disease has stopped responding to hormone therapy. 


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It is now possible to successfully manage the side effects of the various treatments of prostate cancer with efficiency. 


Prostate cancer treatments may be helpful but are usually accompanied with significant compromises which affect the patients’ lifestyles. Understanding these side effects and how to manage them is crucial: 


  • Urinary Incontinence: The patients tating after the prostatectomy and radiation therapy commonly experience urinary incontinence ranging from occasional leakage to absolute inability to control their bladders. Kegel exercises, medicines and, where appropriate, operations can be used to treat incontinence. 

  • Erectile Dysfunction: Erectile dysfunction is a common complication of prostate cancer therapy with surgery or radiation therapy. These are pharmacological therapy, vacuum erection devices, surgical implantation of devices, and counseling in cases of psychological effects.

  • Bowel Issues: Other side effects of radiation therapy include; diarrhoea, rectal bleeding, and needing to move bowels urgently. Such symptoms are often mild and transient, but they could last for a long period and may necessitate dietary changes, drugs or other therapies. 

  • Fatigue: Fatigue is common among the male patients under treatment with prostate cancer and especially in radiation therapy and hormone therapy. This symptom can also be reduced through exercising, taking nutritious meals, avoiding long, tiring work hours, or getting a new mattress. 

  • Hormonal Changes: It should also be noted that hormone therapy may bring certain undesired consequences which are hot flashes, decrease in bone density, weight gain, and mood swings. The treatment and reduction of these side effects can be through patient’s modification of his/her lifestyle, prescription of medications, and the help of health care providers. 


 

Conclusion 

Prostate cancer is not a simple ailment; it calls for an elaborate system of diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Men diagnosed with prostate cancer can then factor the appearance of early signs, the types of treatment that are available for early stages, and potential side effects into their choices regarding their treatment. As time goes on and new discoveries are made the life expectancy of the prostate cancer patients has increased for the benefit of many men and their families by allowing such men to live happily and effectively after their treatments. 


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