Tuesday 3 July 2018

Prostate Cancer Options And Hormone Treatment

Depending on how advanced prostate cancer is, there are varying options for treatment. If caught early, prostate cancer can often be treated successfully, but once it has spread to the surrounding bone it is often impossible to cure. In that situation treatments focus on reducing symptoms and prolonging life. Prostate cancer is a slowly developing cancer, and can take up to 15 years to spread from the prostate gland to surrounding bone. Because of this, many men die of other causes without ever knowing they have the cancer. There are many different treatment options, and if diagnosed with prostate cancer you will receive advice from specialists. The final decision for your treatment will always be your own though. Option 1 - Watchful Waiting: If the cancer is diagnosed very early when it is causing no symptoms, it may be possible to wait to see whether any symptoms do develop. Because of the slow growth of prostate cancer, this is often advised for older men. Option 2 - Active Waiting: This is similar to option 1 but is recommended for younger men. The cancer will be monitored for signs that it is spreading outside of the prostate.

If it is, then treatment will be required. If it doesn't, it may not be necessary to undergo treatment at all. Option 3 - Treatment: If the cancer does require treatment there are many more options, including "Radical prostatectomy" which is where the prostate is removed, radiotherapy where cancer cells are killed by radiation, hormone therapy and chemotherapy. All have their own side effects, and you will always be given the choice as to whether you want to receive a certain treatment or not. Like I`ve said about there are many different possible treatments for prostate cancer, and hormone treatment is one of them. It is often used together with another treatment such as before radiotherapy or after other treatments. This helps increase the chances of success of the other treatments. In some cases however it is used on its own as it can slow the growth of the prostate cancer, while also reducing the symptoms. How hormone treatment works? Prostate cancer uses testosterone (a hormone) to grow, so by reducing the amount of testosterone or blocking its effects in the body the cancer may cease or slow down.

Usually, testosterone doesn't cause any problems, but if there are cancer cells in the prostate they will stop growing or shrink when they no longer have access to it. Possible side effects of prostate cancer hormone treatment: sweating, tiredness, weight gain, loss of sexual desire. This is because of the lack blocking of testosterone, but usually passes once the hormone treatment finishes. Other side effect is mood changes - Some men become depressed while on hormone therapy, and find themselves more emotional than usual. This can put an added strain on not only the man, but on those around them. Alternatives Hormone treatment is often used in conjunction with other therapies, and your specialist will be able to advise you on the best course of action. Other treatments can include "Radical prostatectomy" which removes the prostate gland, and radiotherapy which attempts to kill the cancer cells using radiation. Each have their own set of possible side effects.

Prostate Cancer End Stage And Survival Rates

If prostate cancer is caught before reaching the end stage, then it is often treated very successfully. Treatment has been getting higher and higher success rates within the last twenty years, although it is still not known what causes the cancer and how to prevent it. However, if the cancer spreads from the prostate gland to the bone then it becomes extremely difficult and often impossible to cure. In this situation treatments are aimed at prolonging life and relieving symptoms rather than curing. When a cancer reaches its end stage the patient may start to show signs such as weight loss, tiredness and pains in different places.

In the case of this type of cancer, this is especially true in the lower back and hips. Prostate cancer is the second most likely cause of death to a man in cancer related deaths. If left untreated and provided the man does not die of other reasons, it will cause death. As it is a slow developing cancer, in many cases the man may die of other causes before being killed by the cancer. This is especially true as prostate cancer is much more likely to occur amongst older men, and can take 15 years or more to full develop. If the cancer has reached an un-curable stage, then treatments can be effective at reducing pain and prolonging life, although as has been said once the cancer spreads to the bone it is usually untreatable.

The Survival Rates Prostate cancer, while not receiving as much exposure as other cancers, is the most common of all amongst men in the US and UK. According to the NHS, around 111 men out of 100000 will get prostate cancer at some point during their lives. As this type of cancer is a slow developing cancer and is most common amongst older men, many die of other causes without being affected by it. However it is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK. Around 10000 men die from it each year in the UK. In the past, because of the difficulty in treatment the survival rate for prostate cancer was quite low.

However for the last twenty years the survival rate has been improving and was around 86 percent in 2009. Compared to 31 percent in 1975, this is a vast improvement. Age plays the biggest factor in this type of cancer, with older men much more likely to suffer from it. Above 65 the chances of getting increase greatly, and above 85 even more. You can find out more about treatment options at our health-and-beauty-base.com website. Men with a family history of the cancer also have a much higher chance of getting it themselves. There is no known way of decreasing your risk of getting prostate cancer, although a diet including a lot of animal fats may increase the chance of getting it.