How Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer (HRPC) is Treated

If prostate cancer is in the advanced stage, prescriptions of hormone therapy could be done. In this case, treatments that can reduce the level of testosterone hormone in the body are applied. It has been researched that most men diagnosed with prostate cancer have high level of testosterone in their blood.

Hence, it has been confirmed also that this hormone encourages the growth of cancer cells in the body. So, hormone therapy is usually applied to reduce this hormone and the effect it has promote cancer that form from the prostate gland.

Hormone therapy can fail for some people and in this case, their condition is considered hormone -refractory. In other words, the cancer no longer responds to the hormonal treatment applied on them. Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer (HRPC) often occurs in the life of most people diagnosed with aggressive, metastasis, or advanced prostate cancer. The antiandrogens treatments applied are resisted by the cancer. Another name for this type of cancer is hormone resistant prostate cancer.

If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and you want to learn about how the Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer (HRPC) is treated, here are some highlights on some of the most effective treatments often recommended.

• Chemotherapy drugs like Jevtana and Docetaxel are known to help improve the conditions of those with Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer (HRPC). Studies have shown that these medications can increase the life span of the patients for several months.
• Bisphosphonates, which is a medication that can be used to relief the symptoms of aggressive prostate cancer that have affected the bones. This medication is therefore, helpful when dealing with the effects of Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer (HRPC). Pains and other symptoms can be checked when this medication is applied.
• Apart from the above forms of medications to fight-off hormone resistance prostate cancer, there is a new vaccine that has shown promising effects against HRPC. This is called Provenge. It has been approved by the FDA as a vaccine that helps to spur up the immune system against the spread of cancer cells in the body. Most doctors can apply this medication to counter the effects of Hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) in the body.

Finally, although there is still no concrete treatment for Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer (HRPC), a lot of researches are on going to discover new promising agents, medications, and therapies that would eventually provide permanent cure for Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer (HRPC). Consult with your health care provider for more details on this type of aggressive prostate cancer.

The Benefits of Undergoing Laparoscopic Robotic Prostatectomy

If your prostate cancer is caught early then it becomes necessary to treat once and for all. Medically, it has been confirmed that early stage cancer of the prostate can be treated especially by the removal of the prostate gland. The ready option to effectively do this is by applying the radical prostatectomy. This is a traditional surgical method of treating localized prostate cancer cells. However, there are lots of issues with radical prostatectomy and this is because of the side effects. These side effects include: Urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction, pains, blood loss and long recovery time.

You don’t have to undergo all these side effects if the only option you have to treat your localized prostate cancer is through surgical procedure. You can opt for laparoscopic Robotic Prostatectomy. This is another surgical procedure for treating localized prostate cancer but with less invasive surgical technique. This procedure is also known a robot – Assisted prostatectomy or Robotic Surgery. Here are highlights of the benefits you will enjoy when going for this type of surgery to treat localized prostate cancer.

• When carrying out Laparoscopic Robotic Prostatectomy, there is minimal incision. This means that you are to experience minimal loss of blood, minimal use of the catheter and fast recovery.
• This type of surgery ensures you experience reduced risks of urinary incontinence. In the more traditional approach, nearby tissues could be damaged because of the incisions but in the Laparoscopic Robotic Prostatectomy, these inconveniences are minimized.
• In addition, this robotic surgery brings about less risk of sexual dysfunction. This is based on the fact that the surgeon has clear view of the structure or anatomy of the body, and is less likely to make damage cells responsible for sexual functions during the procedure.
• Other benefits of undergoing Laparoscopic Robotic Prostatectomy include less scarring on the body, less pain, and better precision in carrying out the surgical process.  For sure, there is nothing you would want more than this.

The advantages that laparoscopic surgery has over the more invasive approach cannot be overemphasized. The above benefits highlight the chief benefits you should expect. So, you may want to opt for Laparoscopic Robotic Prostatectomy so as to undergo a less invasive surgical approach when treating localized prostate cancer. For more details on this procedure, talk to your doctor or Board Certified Surgeon and Urologist.  They can tell if you are really a candidate for this type of surgery.

 

Prostate Cancer – Side Effects of Radiation Therapy

It is important you understand the side effects of certain treatments before applying such. This fact is true of prostate cancer radiation therapy. If you are not aware before hand, it is possible that the consequences would become devastating to you. So, you should know what to expect when it comes to side effects of any treatments. Remember, almost every kind of treatment or medications you can think of have side effects. The following paragraphs highlight some of the side effects going for radiation treatment.

 For a start, radiation therapy or treatment is a kind of treatment whereby high intense rays are applied on the cells of the prostate gland to destroy the cancer growth on them. The treatment may be recommended for treating early stage cancer of the prostate. A lot of men are diagnosed with this condition in America and it is the second highest killer of men with cancer related diseases. Lung cancer is still the leading killer among other cancer diseases.

Men diagnosed with prostate cancer are those who may be around 50years and above, those with family history of prostate cancer, those who are of African American origin, those exposed to certain toxic chemicals like Agent Orange, those that take more of certain diets that increase the growth of cancer cells, etc.

Radiation therapy can be applied internally or externally. While this treatment is very effective, it usually comes with certain side effects as described below:

Infertility – This is not what any man would want to keep up with. If extreme heat from the radiation affects the testicles, there is a high chance that the man may suffer from erectile dysfunction and infertility. If you are going for this treatment, then you should talk to your doctor about this.

Bowel problems – After the treatment on some men, it has been discovered that they often complaints of diarrhea, pain during defecating, bowel frequency, etc. This is caused by damage to the rectal area as a result of the radiation.

Incontinence – This is about one of the major side effects of radiation treatment. It occur when radiation causes damage to the urinary sphincter. As a result of this, the man will not be able to control passing of urine.

Fatigue – this is another common side effect of radiation therapy. The person would feel tired or get fatigued easily.

Other side effects include damages to tissues of bladder, rectum, and other vital organs exposed to the radiation.

The above are some of the side effects of radiation treatment. Measures can be taken to deal with these symptoms. However, some people may suffer from some them for the rest of their lives. In addition, surgical options may be required to correct some of these symptoms.

So, it is important you understand these side effects so you know what to expect during radiation therapy. Talk to your doctor for your realistic expectations. There are other side effects of radiation therapy that have not been mentioned in this article. Your doctor will provide more details for you.

 

 

 

Next Page »