Post Prostate Cancer Surgery And Sex – What Most People Don’t Know

Prostate cancer: the words alone stir up some awe and fear in many men in the United States; women are not much spared either – they are the ones who have to pick up the pieces if the man dies, or live with him in the aftermath if he does not. A confirmation of the diagnosis of this disease alone is an inexorably life changing and earth shattering reality that precursors at least a few moments of depression and compensation, if not an entire lifetime.

Complicating matters is the fact that most of the prostate cancer treatments that there are have side effects and contraindications that few people if any are proud to have to live with. Take the Prostate Cancer Surgery for instance; during the procedure the entire prostate gland is more or less inevitably removed in order to take out the tumor growing within it entirely. This organ produces the most part of the fluid in semen, so that without much ado, there is a foreboding understanding that the man may never again produce semen; thus leading to impotency in many cases.

Life and sex post prostate cancer surgery is a case study, but one that is not difficult to deal with considering the number of people who are diagnosed with the disease annually. More than two hundred thousand men get the ill news each year, and immediately they know that if they are going for the radical prostatectomy, they might never again be able to have sex – at least not in the good old way.

Besides the loss of continence that results from the procedure, all men who have undergone a prostate cancer surgery have to deal with impotence… at least for a while if things turn out rather well, which they are not likely to. The nerves that control erection are so close to the prostate gland that operating on the organ will harm them in some way, so that man may not be able to achieve and erection again.

Some men over the course of time recover some degree of potency, but it is often nowhere near what they used to have; for the most part, many men report that they have to do it with the aid of Viagra or Levitra, or some other such drug that helps to deal with impotence. Other men say it’s the penile injection for them; and some say it’s the vacuum penis enlargement pumps.

Considering the fact that penile sensation, libido, and the ability to achieve an orgasm generally remain intact after a prostatectomy, it is understood how erectile dysfunction can be tortuous for a man. Realizing that he might never again have any ejaculate after sex might be tumultuous for a man’s mind. But consider this: virtually millions of American men live with this even this moment… and they still find some purpose in life, even in the absence of sex the good old way.

Department for Veterans Affairs (VA) And Prostate Cancer Compensation

Most Americans at this time are already aware of the fact that there are provisions made by the United States military for men who served in the Vietnam War and were in that way exposed to toxins that put them at increased risk of various diseases, of which prostate cancer is one. What most people do not know is what precisely those provisions are. The United States Department for Veterans Affairs (VA) was charged with enforcing certain court rulings that were made after a civil class action was filed in the early 1980s that brought the fact to light.

The VA compensation for prostate cancer victims who were exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War takes into account the fact that these men are more likely to develop prostate cancer than the rest of the population. As a result if one were to develop the disease, he would be entitled to compensation and medical treatment from the Veterans Administration – but only if the patient in Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 5, 1975. But that aside, it does not matter what time he developed the condition, he is presumed to have been affected by Agent Orange and are entitled to compensation.

The veteran gets monthly payment rates based on the combined rating for his service-connected disabilities based on the severity of the disabilities. Additional amounts are paid to veterans who have severe disabilities, called the “special monthly compensation,” and certain other veterans who have dependents get a little something as well.

The man does have to submit an “Application for Compensation or Pension” by filling out the VA Form 21-526 as soon as possible after being diagnosed with prostate cancer; and it is important that he does it before he receives Prostate Cancer treatment. There are provisos for those who have been treated and cured, and for those who are only suffering a relapse of the condition, but things are clearer when the application is filled out prior to any treatment, especially if the man desires to initially qualify for 100 percent disability rating for at least six months. Applications filed after treatment may only allow the man to qualify for a reduced disability rating if treatment resulted in side effects.

According to the Compensation Rate Table at www.vba.va.gov, which was effected December 1, 2006, 100 percent disability compensation rates are as follows include $2,471 a month for a single veteran individual, and $2,610 per month if he has a spouse. The application may be filled out online as well on the same website.

Prostate Cancer Wonder Treatment Options – Why Not Using Them?

Indeed, there have been a lot of new treatment options for prostate cancer that some are calling wonder solutions because of the alleged effectiveness in treating and even getting rid of the condition.

Many people insist that these treatment options can really help you survive prostate cancer.

The question is – if they are so effective, why are lots of doctors not recommending nor using them for their patients?

This is a very important question and one which the below news article covers. Apart from just covering the question, it also throws more light on these wonder prostate cancer treatment options.

Drug trials are rarely halted halfway through because the drug being tested is so effective — but that’s exactly what happened a few months ago at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, one of the foremost cancer centres in the world, where doctors were testing a powerful radiation drug for men with advanced prostate cancer.

Patients being given Radium-233 Chloride, known as Alpharadin TM, lived longer and experienced less pain and fewer side-effects compared with those on a placebo.

It was decided that the difference in outcomes between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ was so marked that it was unfair to withhold the drug from half of the men on the trial.

This is just one of several recent breakthroughs in prostate cancer treatment.

In September, Australian researchers announced they had found that certain types of oestrogen appear to block the growth of tumour cells in laboratory studies.

These tantalising developments are all the more important because there remains a daunting fight against prostate cancer — the most common and the second deadliest among men after lung cancer, killing around 10,000 men in the UK each year, or an average of more than one an hour.

While new treatments are being found to treat every stage of the disease, and older treatments are being refined and developed, mortality rates remain stubbornly high.

Only 51.1??per cent of men in the UK with prostate cancer, which affects the doughnut-shaped gland that surrounds the urethra near the bladder, are still alive five years after diagnosis.

That compares badly with the 91.9??per cent of Americans who manage to make the five-year mark, according to the CONCORD study conducted from 1990 to 1999 — the first worldwide analysis of cancer survival rates. This may be because Americans have traditionally taken a more aggressive approach to prostate cancer.

A recent U.S. study found that 75??per cent of men with low-risk prostate cancer had aggressive therapy including radiation treatment and radical prostatectomy.

‘In the UK, the default option is to tell the patient they have choices — and many opt to wait to see if the disease gets any worse before having treatment,’ says Chris Eden, a consultant urologist who regularly travels to the U.S. to research the latest techniques.

‘About 40 per cent of all patients diagnosed each year in the UK choose to have active surveillance, when nothing is done except for repeated monitoring with blood tests and prostate biopsy.’

This is despite the fact that surgery still seems the most effective way of improving outcomes for patients. A recent U.S. study of 404,604 patients has found that ‘with the exception of men over 80 years, surgery provides the most favourable survival rates in most patients’.

Mr Eden, who performs around 200 nerve-sparing keyhole prostate removals each year — carefully avoiding the nerves which are key to erectile function — feels there are ‘some lessons’ to be learned from the U.S. approach.

‘American men will research their options and take themselves to specialists who have published excellent results, rather than accept what is available locally,’ he says.

‘And when it comes to the other end of the treatment spectrum — men who can no longer be cured of their prostate cancer but can still be effectively treated — the UK also lags behind, not least because NICE (the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence) takes a long time to make decisions about whether a drug should be available through the NHS, sometimes rejecting drugs that show promise because they are too expensive.’

He says Americans also have far more regular tests for prostate specific antigen (PSA) — raised levels of which can be an early sign of the disease.

However, other experts are not convinced the U.S. approach is the right one.

Emma Malcolm, chief executive of the charity Prostate Action, says the comparisons between UK and U.S. mortality rates do not paint an accurate picture.

‘I suspect there is a lot of over-treating in America — where men who could have lived normal lives for decades undergo procedures, which often leave them with life-altering side-effects.’

Potential problems from surgery include incontinence and impotence.

Depending on the study, between 30 and 70 per cent of men in the UK who undergo prostate removal become impotent, and between two to 15 per cent suffer mild to severe incontinence.

However, as the recent trial at the Royal Marsden shows, these are exciting times in prostate cancer research, with UK academics leading the world in promising new drug therapies.

Here, we look at some of the latest developments…

ROBOTIC SURGERY

Surgery plays a very important role when it comes to treating early-stage prostate cancer — and by far the most common procedure is the radical prostatectomy, when the entire prostate is removed.

A growing number of radical prostatectomies are now carried out with the help of sophisticated robots which aid the surgeon as he or she carries out the procedure.

In the U.S., more than 60 per cent of radical prostatectomies are carried out with robotic assistance.

Ben Challacombe, a consultant urologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Prostate Centre, recently began performing prostatectomies using the latest Si HD robot.

‘This new system helps to achieve the best possible outcome in terms of cancer control, continence and potency,’ says Mr Challacombe.

Clinical trials show this method has improved results over non-robotic procedures, particularly regarding less post-operative pain and shorter stays in hospital.

BEST FOR: Men diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer.

 

CYBERKNIFE

Despite the name, the Cyberknife involves no cutting. It is, in fact, a precise form of radiation therapy where around 150 cross-beams of radiation are fired at the target from multiple directions.

Side-effects are similar to standard radiation therapy: 1-2 per cent of men will suffer incontinence and 30-50 per cent of men become impotent as a result of the treatment, although more surrounding healthy tissue is left unharmed.

Dr Katharine Pigott, a consultant clinical oncologist at the Royal Free Hospital in London and The Prostate Centre, says: ‘The attraction of the procedure is that it is an outpatient-based, one-week treatment, compared with between four and seven weeks of radiotherapy treatment as an outpatient.

‘It is less invasive than surgery, and with a faster recovery period.’
Consultant urologist Chris Eden says: ‘Cyberknife is only available in one (private) UK centre, which is unfortunate for patients who opt for radiotherapy, or who are unsuitable for surgery, as this does show significant promise.’

BEST FOR: Men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer.

 

ULTRASOUND

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is still considered to be an experimental treatment in the UK because there is no long-term data, but it is gaining ground because it is non-invasive and doesn’t interfere with the nerve supply, meaning a man’s sexual potency and continence are rarely affected.

HIFU uses high-frequency sound waves to superheat prostate cancer cells, destroying them.

A balloon is inserted via the rectum and is filled with cooling water to help protect the tissue of the rectum from burning.
HIFU is only available in a few NHS centres but is offered at a number of private clinics.

‘HIFU is available on the NHS but only in a trial setting after deliberations by NICE,’ explains Mr Eden.

‘This is because of concerns regarding a lack of effectiveness and a significant complication rate from published intermediate-term (up to five years) follow-up.’

BEST FOR: Men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer who do not wish to have surgery.

HORMONE THERAPY

Men who have more advanced forms of prostate cancer, which cannot be treated with surgery alone, can have a range of hormone therapies which work by reducing the amount of testosterone circulating in the blood, which ‘feeds’ the cancer.

In the past, these drugs often ceased to work after several years because patients eventually became resistant to them.

However, new developments hold out real hope to men who’ve reached this stage.
Abiraterone, which was launched at the end of September and can now be prescribed by doctors, is a new hormone-blocking drug which seems to extend life significantly and shrink tumours in men with advanced cancer.

Most hormone treatments focus on cutting testosterone production in the testes — the main site of production — but abiraterone is able to reduce the hormone throughout the body by inhibiting an enzyme essential to its production.

Dr Heather Payne, a consultant clinical oncologist at University College London Hospitals, was involved in clinical trials for the drug, which is manufactured by Janssen, part of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson.

She says: ‘Historically, there have been few treatment options for advanced prostate cancer when it relapses after hormonal therapy and chemotherapy, so this new treatment has the potential to meet a significant and previously unmet need.’

NICE and the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) are currently assessing whether to approve the medication for use on the NHS. A decision from NICE is expected in May 2012.

Another exciting hormone reducing drug on the horizon is MDV1300, developed by Medivation, which is still undergoing clinical trials in Germany.

Lead researcher Professor Axel Heidenreich says it looks ‘very promising’ and could even prove more effective than abiraterone, as it gets to work blocking the creation of testosterone in the testes, the prostate and in the cancer itself.

‘I am hoping it will be available to patients within the next 12 months in the UK and elsewhere,’ he says.

BEST FOR: Men with prostate cancer that has spread. 

CHEMOTHERAPY

Just as for many other types of cancer, chemotherapy has been proven to be effective for men with advanced prostate cancer by slowing the progression of the disease.

Standard treatments, including docetaxel, which is taken with steroids, have now been supplanted by the next generation of chemotherapy drugs, specifically cabazitaxel, developed by Sanofi-Aventis, which has far fewer side-effects such as hair loss, nausea and diarrhoea.

Patients can take the drugs in tablet form, by injections or via a drip. But NICE reported last week that it will not recommended them, as it is too expensive.

‘I think it’s a pity if we don’t continue with it, as it is part of the stepping stones to further improvements,’ says Dr Tom Stuttaford, medical writer and a Trustee of the Urology Foundation. It will still be available to private patients.

BEST FOR: Men with advanced prostate cancer which no longer responds to hormone treatment.

CRYOTHERAPY

This therapy involves freezing the tissue of the prostate gland, which destroys all the cells within and leaves just the shell.

Doctors insert very fine needles into the prostate via the perineum (the skin between the scrotum and the rectum) and pass freezing gases through the needles until the temperature within the prostate drops to around minus 40c.

The prostate usually undergoes several freeze-thaw cycles until all the cells — including the cancer cells — are dead.

This relatively new therapy is not yet widely available, although there are six NHS cryotherapy clinics in London. There are also no long-term studies to show its effectiveness. Read more.

I hope you learned a thing or two from the above news article about the prostate cancer wonder treatment options.

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