What Is The Most Common Approach
A technique called transurethral resection of the prostate is considered to be the standard surgical approach. This procedure involves inserting a thin tube called a resectoscope into the urethra and guiding it through to the prostate. The resectoscope is equipped with a tiny camera and an electrical loop that is used to mechanically remove prostate tissue. The loop produces heat at the same time, which quickly seals off the blood vessels. The resectoscope also has valves that regulate the release of fluid to flush the removed tissue out. TURP takes about 90 minutes and is done under local or general anesthetic. Men who have had this procedure usually need to have a urinary for a few days after, and generally stay in the hospital for two to seven days. They then have to rest and take it easy for a few weeks.
Some variations of TURP are also considered to be standard treatments and have similar outcomes and consequences to conventional TURP. These include transurethral electrovaporization , transurethral vaporesection and plasmakinetic enucleation of the prostate .
Side Effects Of Prostate Surgery
The major possible side effects of radical prostatectomy are urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction . These side effects can also occur with other forms of prostate cancer treatment.
Urinary incontinence: You may not be able to control your urine or you may have leakage or dribbling. Being incontinent can affect you not only physically but emotionally and socially as well. These are the major types of incontinence:
- Men with stress incontinence might leak urine when they cough, laugh, sneeze, or exercise. Stress incontinence is the most common type after prostate surgery. It’s usually caused by problems with the valve that keeps urine in the bladder . Prostate cancer treatments can damage this valve or the nerves that keep the valve working.
- Men with overflow incontinence have trouble emptying their bladder. They take a long time to urinate and have a dribbling stream with little force. Overflow incontinence is usually caused by blockage or narrowing of the bladder outlet by scar tissue.
- Men with urge incontinencehave a sudden need to urinate. This happens when the bladder becomes too sensitive to stretching as it fills with urine.
- Rarely after surgery, men lose all ability to control their urine. This is called continuous incontinence.
After surgery for prostate cancer, normal bladder control usually returns within several weeks or months. This recovery usually occurs slowly over time.
There are several options for treating erectile dysfunction:
True North Testicular Cancer
- Orchiectomy is the removal of one or both testicles due to underlying pathology. Testicular cancer, undescended testicles, or other pathologies are some of the causes that may warrant a removal of the testicle. During the testicle removal procedure one or both testis are removed without any damage to the penis or the scrotum
- Testicular torsion: The spermatic cord can twist, displacing the testicle and potentially leading to obstruction of blood flow, which can cause loss of the testicle if not properly corrected. This condition is a surgical emergency that needs to be urgently addressed. Undescended testes: Usually diagnosed during childhood, this condition occurs when one or both testes remain in the abdomen.
- A small incision is made in the front of the scrotum and the testicles are removed. If the cancer has already reached the bones, this is the quickest way to slow tumor growth and pain.Testosterone levels drop dramatically and the patient often has rapid relief from cancer symptoms. For sleep apnea, what are the pros/cons of the full (nose.
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Where Are Your Wisdom Teeth Anyway
You should know that the wisdom teeth those third and final set of molars typically start to emerge when you reach the late teen years or reach the early adulthood days. Naturally, they wont always fit rightly behind the molars due to the way the jaw grows and develops in us.
So, the teeth lacking enough room may get blocked below the gum line. They may push the existing teeth out of alignment. Thats why, dentists often advise their removal. This is the best way to avoid any damage caused by the emerging structures.
Not all dentists, however hold the view of the removal, as most recommend retention by keeping the teeth under observation. You can thus consult the dentist near you and know their view on the matter for more knowledge on the subject.
Lets look at the pros and cons of wisdom teeth removal to decide on own
What Happens After Radical Prostatectomy
Patients are usually discharged within 24 hours of surgery after radical prostatectomy.
You may have a drain that gets rid of excess fluid from the surgery site. If a drain is placed at the time of surgery, it is typically removed before you leave the hospital.
A urinary catheter continues to drain your urine into a bag. You may need to leave the catheter in place at home for a few days to one week.
After a surgeon removes your prostate, youll no longer ejaculate semen. But you can still be sexually active.
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Does Incontinence Go Away On Its Own After Prostate Surgery
For most men, urinary incontinence will go away within about 1 year. The time frame varies depending on how severe your incontinence is, and what types of treatments youre using to manage it. Some men may recover from leaks within weeks, whereas others will take months for the bladder leaks to subside. Performing pelvic floor exercises, also known as Kegels, which help strengthen the muscles that are located in the base of the pelvis between the pubic bone may help to speed the recovery process along.
Positioning For Proton Beam Treatment
Positioning the body is very important. It can take several minutes for the team to adjust both you and the instruments to make sure the proton beam will reach the exact spot of the tumor.
While the treatment is happening, you must be very still on the table. The team will work with you to help keep you in place. For example, a custom-fitted mask can help those who are getting treatment for brain tumors. The mask is made of mesh that allows patients to see and breathe.
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Advantages And Disadvantages Of Removing Tonsils
Tonsillectomy is a common procedure that several patients around the globe undergo almost every year. Even after equipping themselves with the knowledge about the possible risks that can occur during the procedure, several patients still oscillate between the decision of opting or not opting for tonsil removal surgery.
This blog can guide you into making the appropriate decision of removing the tonsils as it discusses the pros and cons of tonsil removal surgery and gives a brief account of the surgery.
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What Are The Risks Involved With Pae
PAE has been shown to have fewer side effects than other widely used treatments for BPH such as transurethral resection of the prostate surgery, which is associated with incontinence, impotence, retrograde ejaculation and erectile dysfunction issues in men. When the procedure is performed by an experienced physician, the complication rate is extremely low and the procedure is incredibly safe and effective. According to the World Journal of Urology, the following side effects can occur following PAE: transient blood in urine , rectal bleeding, and acute urinary retention. In fact, with PAE, some men may actually experience improved sexual function following the procedure.
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Why Does It Take So Long To Recover Erections After The Very Best Surgery
A number of explanations have been proposed for this phenomenon of delayed recovery, including mechanically induced nerve stretching that may occur during prostate retraction, thermal damage to nerve tissue caused by electrocoagulative cautery during surgical dissection, injury to nerve tissue amid attempts to control surgical bleeding, and local inflammatory effects associated with surgical trauma.
The Gold Standard Of Care
The gold standard of care for prostate cancer begins with the patient and his support person talking with the experts the surgeon , a radiation oncologist and a specialist nurse. In doing so, the man is provided with the relevant information and impartial advice he needs to make an informed decision about his preferred treatment.
Virtually all specialist doctors who treat cancer profess to be part of a multi-disciplinary team, that includes surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists and other experts, and attend meetings where the relevant health professionals discuss patient cases to decide on management. These team meetings are valuable, but they are only one aspect of a high quality service. Meetings do not include the patient, the man with prostate cancer, who is integral to the .
The multi-disciplinary team model has been successful in the treatment of breast cancer. There is nearly always more than one good treatment option available for men with prostate cancer, sometimes several. For men with low risk cancers, many may not require active treatment up front and are appropriately managed by active surveillance or careful monitoring.
Read more:Latest research shows surgery for early stage prostate cancer doesn’t save lives
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Some Things To Consider When Choosing Among Treatments
Before deciding on treatment, here are some questions you may want to ask yourself:
- Are you the type of person who needs to do something about your cancer, even if it might result in serious side effects?
- Would you be comfortable with watchful waiting or active surveillance, even if it means you might have more anxiety and need more frequent follow-up appointments in the future?
- Do you need to know right away whether your doctor was able to get all of the cancer out ? Or are you comfortable with not knowing the results of treatment for a while if it means not having to have surgery?
- Do you prefer to go with the newest technology , which might have some advantages? Or do you prefer to go with better proven treatments that doctors might have more experience with?
- Which potential treatment side effects might be most distressing to you?
- How important for you are issues like the amount of time spent in treatment or recovery?
- If your initial treatment is not successful, what would your options be at that point?
Many men find it very stressful to have to choose between treatment options, and are very fearful they will choose the âwrongâ one. In many cases, there is no single best option, so itâs important to take your time and decide which option is right for you.
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As well as the standard approaches such as TURP, there are a number of other surgical techniques. They mainly differ in terms of the instruments and sources of energy used to remove or destroy the prostate tissue. Most of the other techniques are carried out using laser beams. Like in TURP, the instruments are inserted into the urethra and guided to the prostate.
The laser treatments include:
- holmium laser enucleation of the prostate
- holmium laser resection of the prostate
- thulium laser resection of the prostate
- thulium laser enucleation of the prostate
The two holmium techniques are about as invasive as TURP is. Research suggests that they are probably about as effective as TURP too. An advantage of the holmium techniques is that people can leave hospital and have their catheter removed sooner.
Research on thulium laser resection has shown that the treatment outcome is similar to that of TURP. Severe bleeding after surgery was less common after thulium laser resection. Men who had this treatment were able to leave the hospital and have their catheter removed sooner.
Another advantage of laser treatment is that there is no risk of TUR syndrome occurring. But like TURP, they can still lead to dry orgasms.
Other surgical approaches such as TmLEP and PVP havent been scientifically proven to be at least as effective as TURP.
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What Happens During The Pae Procedure
It works by placing a tiny catheter into the arteries that feed the prostate gland. A solution containing thousands of microscopic plastic beads is injected these block the blood supply by shutting down blood flow to the gland. All of this is accomplished through a tiny quarter-inch hole in the skin. General anesthesia is not needed because the procedure is not all that painful. Most patients go home the same day with just a small bandage, requiring only a few days of recovery at home before returning to normal life. Over time, the prostate gland is starved of its blood supply, and it shrivels up, like a grape shrinking into a raisin, says Dr. Ayyagari. This allows the urethra to open up and urine to flow more normally. Amazingly, shrinking the prostate does not have any negative impact on sexual function, and indeed a small number of patients actually experience an improvement in their sexual function after the procedure.
When To Call Your Doctor Or Nurse
Its important to tell your doctor or nurse if:
- your bladder feels full or your catheter isnt draining urine
- your catheter leaks or falls out
- your urine contains blood clots, turns cloudy, dark or red, or has a strong smell
- your wound area or the tip of your penis becomes red, swollen or painful
- you have a fever
- you feel sick or vomit
- you get cramps in your stomach area that will not go away
- you get pain or swelling in the muscles in your lower legs.
Your doctor or nurse will let you know if you should go to the hospital.
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Summary – The message of this resource is:
Surgery is not usually needed for benign enlarged prostate. It may be an option, however, if the enlarged prostate is causing urinary tract infections or bladder stones, or if other treatments are not helping. The transurethral resection of the prostate is considered to be the standard surgical approach. There are other variations of TURP, as well as laser treatments. Talk to your doctor to find out what treatment is right for you.
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Whats The Procedure Like
Since delivering the protons to the cancer cells is the goal of therapy, a lot of time is spent on positioning your body and adjusting the equipment before each session.
Youll have to remain perfectly still while the proton beam is delivered, but it will only take about 1 to 3 minutes. Its noninvasive, and you wont feel anything. Youll be able to leave right away and continue your normal activities.
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Reduced Risk Of Infections
There is an episode of tonsillitis when there is a viral or bacterial attack in the throat. Once the infection spreads to the tonsils, these inflame resulting in various symptoms. Thus, if the tonsils are removed completely, the chances of infection developing reduces to almost zero. The person may still be at the risk of colds and flu, but these will cure fast as there are no chances of the infection being chronic.
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How Do You Determine Whats Right For You
Whether youve recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer or youre dealing with recurrent or metastatic cancer, you may be facing difficult decisions about your treatment. Its normal to be unsure about what steps to take, and most patients have more than one choice.
Start by talking to your oncologist about the specifics of your case and your options. The American Society of Clinical Oncology has a helpful list of questions to ask your doctor about prostate cancer you may want to reference.
If possible, see a multi-specialty cancer care team to get a bigger picture of your case and your options. This is also important because, sometimes, factors outside of your cancer stage may impact your treatment options. For example, you may have an obstruction in your urinary tract that makes surgery a more appropriate choice than radiation. Or maybe you have another health condition that makes surgery more risky for you. In that case, radiation may be a better choice. You want these doctors to talk to one another about your case each has expertise that makes an important contribution to the decision-making process. To facilitate this coordination, you may have to set up appointments to see multiple doctors and ask them to discuss your case.
If youre interested in getting a second opinion for prostate cancer, or if youd just like to talk with someone at CTCA about your cancer care, or chat online with a member of our team.
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What Is Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy And What Advantages Does It Offer
Stereotactic body radiation therapy, or SBRT, involves the use of sophisticated image guidance that pinpoints the exact three-dimensional location of a tumor so the radiation can be more precisely delivered to cancer cells. Traditionally, external beam radiation has been delivered in anywhere from 45-48 sessions over multiple weeks. But large, randomized studies have shown that shorter courses of radiation are just as safe and effective. Therefore, at MSK, we have shortened all our radiation courses.
There is increasing interest in giving this radiation in very short courses of treatment using intense radiation doses, called hypofractionated radiation therapy. Many of the people we care for have a type of radiation therapy called MSK PreciseTM. This is a hypofractionated form of SBRT that can be given in five sessions. MSK has been doing this for the past 20 years, and the results in the several hundred people whove been treated have been excellent so far. The treatment is very well tolerated and quite effective
Because of its superior precision, MSK Precise can have fewer side effects than more conventional radiation techniques, with extremely low rates of incontinence and rectal problems. The sexual side effects are low, similar to what is experienced with more extended external radiation techniques. And of course, its much more convenient for patients.