Weighing Your Prostate Cancer Treatment Options

Men diagnosed with prostate cancer now have many treatment options available to them, including radiation, surgery, and drugs that stop the growth of the prostate cancer.

With so many choices, all of which have their own benefits and risks, choosing the best prostate cancer treatment can be difficult. The most appropriate therapy will depend upon the size and aggressiveness of the cancer, as well as whether it has spread to other parts of the body. In some cases, multiple treatments are used.

Watch and Wait: Active Surveillance of Prostate Cancer

Improved screening and detection of prostate cancer means that many cancers are found long before they are likely to pose a serious threat.

When theprostate tumor is very small or slow-growing (early stage), many men opt to “watch and wait,” an approach known as active surveillance.

This doesn’t mean do nothing. Your prostate cancer will be monitored regularly for changes in its size or growthusing:

  • exams
  • blood tests
  • imaging (such as MRI)
  • follow-up biopsies.

Radiation Treatment for Prostate Cancer

Radiation can be used to kill prostate cancer cells. Improved methods have allowed doctors to use higher doses of radiation, but with fewer side effects. The two main types are:

  • External beam radiation therapy (EBRT).X-rays are aimed at the prostate cancer from outside the body.
  • Radioactive material implants(Brachytherapy). Thisinvolves placing radioactive material (or “seeds”) inside the prostate gland.

Prostate Surgery

During prostate surgery, the prostate gland is removed (radical prostatectomy), along with any nearby lymph nodes (part of the immune system) that have become cancerous.

While any surgery has a risk of complications, minimally invasive techniques, such as robotic prostatectomy using the da Vinci® Surgical System, combines the latest robotic and surgical techniques. Prostatectomy performed using the robot has many benefits, such as:

  • less pain and blood loss
  • fewer complications
  • shorter stay in the hospital
  • faster return to your normal activities.

Success of this procedure depends on both the skill and experience of the surgeon, as well as the technique used.

Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Hormone therapy blocks or reducesthemale hormones, such as testosterone, that fuel the growth of prostate cancer. Side effects include decreased sex drive and loss of muscle mass. This treatment can involve:

  • Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which blocks the production of testosterone using either medicines or removal of the testicles (the place where testosterone is made).
  • Anti-androgens, medicines that keep the prostate cancer cells from using testosterone.

Treatment Options for Advanced Prostate Cancer

If the prostate cancer moves beyond the prostate gland (metastasis)—such as into the lymph nodes or other organs—doctors may use multiple types of therapies in order to treat this aggressive form of cancer.

In addition to hormone therapy, another treatment option is chemotherapy, which uses special drugs to slow or stop the growth of prostate cancer cells. These drugs are usually given in cycles, such as every 21 or 28 days.

The main side effects of chemotherapy are:

  • nausea and vomiting
  • temporary hair loss
  • drop in white blood cells which increases the risk of infection.

da Vinci Prostatectomy Chosen Most for Prostate Cancer Treatment

More U.S. men choose da Vinci Surgery than any other treatment for prostate cancer, and more and more men worldwide facing prostate cancer are choosing da Vinci Surgery.

Thanks to breakthrough surgical technology, Dr. Gaertner and Dr. Knoedler can offer a minimally invasive treatment for prostate cancer – da Vinci Prostatectomy. Studies show that, compared to open surgery, experienced da Vinci surgeons achieve better cancer control – lower positive margin rates. Positive margin rates are a measure of cancer cells left behind – lower is better.

 

Recent studies show more patients have full return of urinary continence within 6 months as compared to patients having open surgery

  • Shorter hospital stay
  • Lower risk of complications
  • Lower risk of wound infection
  • Fewer days with catheter
  • Less pain
  • Faster recovery and return to normal activities

To learn more, check out our section on [da Vinci Prostatectomy].

3rd Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Golf Tournament

On August 13th Metro Urology hosted the 3rd Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Golf Tournament at Kilkarney Hills in

River Falls, WI. The mission of the Metro Urology Foundation is to provide educational opportunities where people living

 

with urologic conditions, and their families and friends, can join with others to increase their knowledge and understanding of the urologic conditions they live with daily.

 

To learn more about the event [Click Here].

Metro Urology A Sponsor of Dash for Dads Sept 22

The DASH FOR DAD is part of a national initiative designed to raise funds for prostate cancer research and community awareness. The race is part of the Great Prostate Cancer Challenge®, America’s Premier Men’s Health Event Series, taking place in 2012.
This year Metro Urology will be a proud sponsor of the event held in Minneapolis, MN.

To register, donate, or to learn more [Click Here].

Da Vinci ® Robotic Surgery Creates Better Cancer Control

Da Vinci Surgery has become the most popular choice by men for treating prostate cancer in the U.S. The enhanced dexterity, vision, and control of the robotic surgery has led to better cancer control leaving less cancer cells behind.

Prostatectomy

There are numerous benefits of the da Vinci Surgery when compared to conventional surgery including:

  • Shorter hospital stay
  • Less blood loss
  • Lower risk of complications
  • Lower risk of wound infection
  • Fewer days with catheter
  • Less pain
  • Faster recovery and return to normal activities

For more information [Read More] and check out the online Brochure.

John Soucheray completed a Triathlon 8 weeks after surgery

Dr. John SoucherayDr. John Souchery was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Himself an experienced urologist, he was well aware of the treatment options and outcomes for the treatment of prostate cancer. As a husband, and a grandfather and an active career as well as an active lifestyle, Souchery could not afford a long treatment process.

The choice was simple: surgical removal. Minimally invasive robotic surgery was the clear method of choice.

Through the expertise of Drs. Knoedler and Gaertner, the cancerous prostate was removed using the da Vinci Surgical System allowing a much faster recovery. Only 8 weeks later, Souchery completed an olympic distance triathlon, recovered from surgery.

Read more about Souchery’s store here or share your own success story.