The Second Most Common Cancer in Men

Prostate cancer, like any cancer, is a frightening diagnosis. As with most diseases the more information you have, the less frightening it becomes. With prostate cancer the prognosis is usually pretty good. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. First lets find out a little about this disease.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men in the U.S. (Skin cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer found in men.), and is the third leading cause of death due to cancer in men. Lung cancer is first . If a close relative has prostate cancer, a man's risk of the disease more than doubles. This disease was the cause of death for singer Frank Zappa, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Linus Pauling, and actors Telly Savalas and Bill Bixby.

As with other types of cancer, early diagnosis is the key to effective treatment. The sooner the cancer is found the better the chance of a successful outcome.

When a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer it will be both emotionally and physically challenging for him. The good news is that, generally, since prostate cancer is typically slow-moving, nearly all men who are diagnosed with it survive for at least five years following their diagnosis. The great majority live at least another ten years after diagnosis, and many (61%) are still alive 15 or more years later. 86% of prostate cancers are found while still confined within the prostate or in only nearby tissue. For these men, there is nearly a 100% five-year survival rate. Today more men are surviving prostate cancer than ever. Some autopsies have shown that many older men who died of other causes also had prostate cancer that neither they nor their doctors knew of due to the slow rate of growth..

Prostrate cancer treatments are generally divided into two categories, based on the stage of the cancer. The first category is Early Stage Prostrate Cancer Treatments and these treatments are administered in Stage I and Stage II. The second category is Advanced Stage Prostrate Cancer Treatments and these are used in Stage III and Stage IV. Lets take a look at the different treatment options for these two categories.

Early stage prostate cancer treatments:

Radiation Therapy- Treatment is generally administered over a period of weeks to kill the cancerous cells. There are side effects related to radiation therapy that can be quite serious and you need to discuss them with your physician.

Surgery- The surgical removal of the prostrate gland. Patients can go for the traditional open surgery or the less invasive laparoscopic surgical procedure.

Robotic surgery This is the latest development in prostrate cancer treatment and is quite effective. It preserves nerves, muscles, and other structures in the prostrate area while removing the cancerous prostate.

Cryosurgery- This new technique is still being evaluated. Cooling probes are guided into the prostrate with the help of ultrasound. These cooling probes freeze the cancerous cells, causing them to die.This is done under anesthesia.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)- This procedure is also done under anesthesia. A probe is placed into the prostrate gland via the rectum. A high intensity ultrasound beam is used to increase the temperature in the area of focus to a level which kills the cancerous cells.

Late stage prostate cancer treatments:

In the late stages Oncologists usually recommend Orchiectomy, the surgical removal of the testicles along with the removal of the prostate. This is done to remove the source of testosterone, which is believed to enable the cancerous cells. Your physician may also recommend radiation and chemotherapy. This method of treatment may be to upsetting to many men. The castration of the testicles has many psychological implications for men.

Injection of hormone-releasing analogs (LHRH): Even though LHRH analogs also called LHRH agonists are more costly and require frequent doctor visits, the majority of men choose this less radical treatment over orchiectomy. This method of treatment lowers testosterone levels just efficiently by lowering the levels of androgen's made by your testicles.

Combining alternative treatment such as diet changes and colon cleansing with traditional treatments have been beneficial to many patients who have cancer. This blending of traditional and alternative treatments is becoming quite common in most major cancer treatment centers in the U.S.

Whatever the stage of cancer, it is important to discuss all the treatment options with your physician. Learn about the advantages and disadvantages associated with each treatment so you can make an informed decision in regards to your health care. Remember that it is your life, so this is definitely not the time to be passive. Ask the questions and do your research, be informed before making the decisions your life may depend on.