How Radiation Treatment For Prostate Cancer Works

Most cancers are treated medically with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Currently, there isn?t a good chemotherapy option for prostate cancer in the early stages, which leaves surgery or radiation treatment for prostate cancer.

If the surgeon gets the entire tumor, surgery is a 100% cure. It does require a hospital stay and wearing a catheter for a while. There are risks with any surgery, and one risk with prostate surgery is impotence

There are two types of radiation treatment for prostate cancer: seed therapy and external beam radiation therapy. Radiation therapy works by killing the cancer cells. The goal is to kill all the cancer cells, but not any healthy cells.

The first type of radiation treatment for prostate cancer is external radiation treatment. Usually, the man receives five treatments a week for seven weeks. If the cancer has spread, radiation can be aimed at those areas, too. External radiation is painless, doesn?t require any anesthesia and only takes a few minutes each time. It does mean a daily trip to a treatment facility, though.

Side effects of radiation treatment for prostate cancer include incontinence, impotence and fatigue. Not everyone experiences these side effects.

The other type of radiation treatment for prostate cancer is seed therapy, or brachytherapy. Small seeds of radioactive iodine or palladium are placed inside the prostate gland, where they emit radiation that kills the tumor cells. The radiation in each implant lasts about two years, which is long enough to kill the cancer cells.

Seed therapy has about the same cure rate and side effects as external radiation treatment for prostate cancer. Seed therapy is only used for tumors that have not metastasized outside the prostate. The initial seed implantation causes some discomfort, but the patient can usually return to his usual routine in a day or two.

Radiation treatment for prostate cancer is successful when the cancer is diagnosed early. Many men prefer it to surgery because it is less invasive.

Dean Iggo is the webmaster of ProstateHealthAdvice.com which provides prostate cancer treatments and symptoms of everything from an enlarged prostate to prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer Treatment Options: Discussing Your Options With Your Oncologist

Being diagnosed with prostate cancer is by no means a death sentence as compared to previously. There are a number of prostate cancer treatment options available. You need to speak with your oncologist to find out which option works best for you.

Learning about your prostate cancer diagnosis may be difficult to accept initially. So you should get your oncologist to answer any questions you may have. He should be able to give you very helpful advice. You may consider bringing a family member with you for the consultation for extra support.

A good tip is to ask your oncologist if he has any leaflets or any book that you can read about the various prostate cancer treatments. As you consider over your prostate cancer treatment options over later, you may need to refer to the facts or what was discussed over during the conversation.

Also ask your oncologist to explain the different prostate cancer treatment options to you in layman's terms. Medical jargon can be difficult to understand and confusing to a mind that is under stress. So, the simpler the way things are explained to you, the better.

In general, there are about three major forms of prostate cancer treatment; surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Hormone therapy is also often used as a complementary therapy. A combination of the three main treatments can be used together or in conjunction with hormone therapy. The type of prostate cancer treatment that you receive will depend on how extensive and advanced your cancer is.

When the initial cancer spreads to the surrounding tissues and then to other sites in the body, the type of prostate cancer treatment used will become more palliative than curative i.e. the treatment will slow down the growth of the cancer and help control the side effects rather than actually curing the disease.

Factors such as your age, general health and what you want to achieve from the treatment will also be taken into consideration. If you are an elderly person, you may decide not to proceed with surgery due to the side effects. In this case, you may prefer not to take drastic measures except to slow down the growth and spread of the disease. Younger men however may prefer to get rid of the cancer completely and hence would prefer to choose surgery. Surgery may also be followed with radiation therapy to kill any remaining cancerous cells.

There are a lot of things to consider when you choose your form of prostate cancer treatment. As such, you should not rush through your decision. Make sure that you have full information before you make a decision.

Early detection helps in your prostate cancer treatment. For more information and practical tips, please visit the site at www.Prostate-Cancer-Treatment-Hub.com

You Do What It Takes To Keep In Shape, But What Do You Do To Keep Your Prostate In Shape!

"This year, approximately 234,460 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and approximately 27,350 will die as a result of the disease."--Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Prostate Cancer is the most common form of cancer amongst men in the United States and Canada, other than skin cancer. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths of men after lung cancer...So now do you understand why you must take control of your prostate!

Maintaining prostate health is a major concern for men 40 and over in North America. Despite this, many men are reluctant to broach the subject with their physicians. Prostate cancer occurs when the cells of the prostate begin to grow uncontrollably. When caught and treated early, prostate cancer has a cure rate of over 90%.

The prostate is a small, squishy gland about the size of a walnut that sits under the bladder and in front of the rectum. The urethra, the narrow tube that runs the length of the penis and that carries both urine and semen out of the body, runs directly through the prostate; the rectum, or the lower end of the bowel, sits just behind the prostate and the bladder.

Sitting just above the prostate are the seminal vesicles, two little glands that secrete about 60% of the substances that makes up semen; running alongside and attached to the sides of the prostate are the nerves that control erectile function.

Have you noticed any of these symptoms?

* Increased urinary urgency and frequency - especially at night?
* Voiding slow, incomplete and sometimes painful or burning?
* Decreased sexual activity and occasional impotence?
* Lack of bladder control - incontinence?

Rate your prostate health

Find out now...with the following assessment survey: This survey was developed by the American Urological Association (AUA) and is currently the standard test to determine urinary health.

Prostate Symptom Survey

For questions 1 - 6, score 0 for not at all; score 1 for less than 1 time in 5; score 2 for less than half the time; 3 for about half the time; 4 for more than half the time; and 5 for almost always. Score Yourself.

Over the past month or so, how often have you had a sensation of not emptying your bladder completely after you finished urinating?

Over the past month or so, how often have you had to urinate again less than two hours after you finished urinating?

Over the past month or so, how often have you found you stopped and started again several times when you urinated?

Over the past month or so, how often have you found it difficult to postpone urination?

Over the past month or so, how often have you had a weak urinary stream?

Over the past month or so, how often have you had to push or strain to begin urination?

Over the past month, how many times did you most typically get up to urinate - from the time you went to bed at night - until the time you got up in the morning? (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)

Scoring:The sum of the answer scores gives us a better idea of the prostate condition as follows:

1 - 7 = Mild 8 - 18 = Moderate 19 - 35 = Severe

If your score shows that you should be more concerned about your prostate health... What are your options?

Phytotherapeutic agents (herbs) represent nearly half of all the products dispensed for supporting prostate health in Italy; in Germany and Austria phytotherapy is the first choice for prostate support. ...Do they know something we don't?

Learn why so many men have turned to phytotherapeutic agents to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. This combined to maintaining a strong immune system is the key to avoiding many types of cancers. Learn more, you owe it to yourself. Copyright ? 2006 http://www.cancer-help-treatment.com

Prostate Hyperplasia: A Brief Explanation

It has been found that almost every man over the age of 60 will develop one of the numerous conditions associated with the prostate gland. Many of these conditions tend to exhibit only mild symptoms until they are well developed. This means that if you are affected, you may not even realise that you have a problem.

One of such conditions is known as Prostate hyperplasia, also known as Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH). Although it is not cancerous, it can cause the same prostate symptoms as prostate cancer. Prostate hyperplasia is present in about 90% of men over the age of 80. However, unless it causes the prostate gland to become grossly enlarged the symptoms are relatively mild and attributed to the rigors of old age.

The cause of prostate hyperplasia is not accurately known. Many researchers and oncologists believe that it is a hormone related condition. The male hormone testosterone is converted to a secondary hormone called dihydrotestosterone naturally in the body and when this secondary hormone binds with specific receptors in the tissues of the prostate gland, cellular growth and division becomes over-stimulated. Thus the prostate gland becomes enlarged so producing prostate hyperplasia.

Certain families of drugs can be used to reduce the amount of testosterone in the body or to stop the available testosterone from binding with the receptors in the prostate gland. This acts to stop prostate hyperplasia from developing further and may even reduce the size of the prostate gland over time. Unfortunately drug therapy for prostate hyperplasia is an ongoing therapy and if diagnosed with the condition you will be required to take drugs daily for the rest of your life.

Prostate hyperplasia symptoms are very similar to those of prostate cancer. Do take action if you notice the following:

* Difficulty urinating
* Urinary leakage
* Pain when urinating
* A feeling of urgency to urinate
* Increased night time urination
* Any other problems associated with urinating

As mentioned above prostate hyperplasia is usually easily controlled and treated with simple drug regimes. But if the symptoms are due to cancer, then surgery may be required.

Still you should not imagine the worst. A diagnosis of prostate hyperplasia does not necessarily mean that you are going to have prostate cancer. Admittedly some cases of prostate hyperplasia do progress and become cancerous. However, with early and continued treatment, the condition can be effectively controlled and enlargement of the prostate gland reduced.

Early detection helps in your recovery and your prostate cancer treatment. For more information, please visit the site at www.Prostate-Cancer-Treatment-Hub.com

Prostate Cancer Diet With Isoflavones And Polyphenols

What you eat can increase your risk to getting prostate cancer. The Westernized diet of red meat and saturated fat is said to significantly increase your probability of developing prostate cancer. So if you wish to have good health or are already diagnosed with this condition, then you should adopt a healthy prostate cancer diet as soon as possible.

Research studies show that asian men living in their asian home countries have a much lower incidence rate of prostate cancer than American men. In addition, when these asian men relocate to a Westernized country the probability of them developing the condition gradually rises until it equals that of the westerners.

Hence, researchers concluded that it would seem logical that the prostate cancer diet needs to contain all of the ingredients that are commonly found in an eastern diet. For good prostate health, they recommend reducing the consumption of unhealthy saturated fats and simple carbohydrates that are found in so many Westernized foods i.e. fast foods, take-aways etc.

Researchers have analysed what constitutes best for a prostate cancer diet. So far the findings are on two particular nutrients; isoflavones and polyphenols.

Isoflavones are thought to stop the process of abnormal cell growth and so if ingested in relatively concentrated amounts can reduce the incidence of cancer which is, in simple terms, a mass of abnormal cells. They do this by inhibiting the effects of the sex hormones and in particular testosterone on the prostate gland meaning that it is less likely to become cancerous.

Isoflavones can be found in soy. Hence, a prostate cancer diet should contain a larger than normal amount of soy products. Most Westernized diets however do not include soy. So buying soy products may be something that you should consider for including into your regular diet.

Polyphenols slow down the growth process of abnormal cells so that tumours grow and form blood supplies a lot slower than normal. Polyphenols are found in relatively large quantities in green tea, another suggested ingredient for an effective prostate cancer nutrition diet. Just how much tea you need to drink to reap the benefits from polyphenols is not known.

Making these changes for a healthier prostate cancer diet may require some effort initally. However, these changes are not exactly drastic measures. In any case, both soy and green tea are not known to raise your cholesterol levels or produce harmful effects to your body. You should therefore think of ways to include more isoflavones and polyphenols into your diet from today!

Making changes to your lifestyle and diet can help reduce your chance of developing prostate cancer. Find out more about prostate nutrition and other practical tips here at www.Prostate-Cancer-Treatment-Hub.com

Over Half Of All Men Over 50 Have An Enlarged Prostate

Prostate problems all too often and effect a mans activities and all ages can be effected. Men often know a lot more about a womens cycle than they do about their own sexual health. However, problems with a mans prostate as just as common that with womens period cycle issues.

Some of the symptoms with men with prostate problems are difficulty in urination with increased frequency of urination. Painful urination and having to get up at night to urinate are other symptoms. Pain in the lower back is another sign of possible prostate issues.

About 400,000 men in the USA have prostate surgery each year costing over $2 Billion a year.

Experts in diet strongly recommend that a good diet and exercise routine help in preventive and treatment of prostate problems. THe general recommendations are to reduce red meat and saturated fat in the diet and eat more fruit and vegetables. Drinking more water rather that coke and a good exercise program are essential both for prostate care and leading a better, healthier and happier life.

The three nos are cigarettes, booze and high fat foods. Research has shown that aerobic exercise such as jogging, dancing or swimming can improve the state your your prostate.

Men who walked for two to three hours per week were 25 percent less likely to develop prostate problems than those who did little walking

The good news is that lovemaking a few times a week helps your prostate due to the action of the semen and prostate function.

It is important to see your doctor regularly for a prostate check up. They can test for some hormones that rise as a result of prostate cancer.

Traditionally, several herbs have been used in prostate support. These include Saw Palmetto,and Nettle. A good naturopath can recommend several good supplements for prostate care.

Mauice Tate is a qualified sexologist trained at the Advanced Institute of Sexology. To learn more about prostate care visit prostate enlargement