HOW TO MAKE S@WD FUN FOR ALL.
Try a ‘Most creative use of the sneaker laces’ Contest!
KNOW YOUR TREATMENT OPTIONS
Too many men diagnosed with prostate cancer think that their only option
is surgery to “cut it out” or radiation to “burn it out.” And many are
so frightened by the word “cancer” that they believe that they must
stampede into immediate action. Today’s medical advances have led to a
wide range of treatments -- including no treatment at all – that enable
prostate cancer patients and their physicians to take the time to
carefully analyze all the factors and then select the optimum treatment
from among today’s options. Options that individually or in combination
have proven to provide better outcomes for men with prostate cancer than
ever before include:
Active Surveillance:
Active observation and regular monitoring of a patient until, and if,
actual treatment proves to be needed; also called watchful waiting.
Life Style Changes/Complementary Medicine:
Vitamins, minerals, herbs, meditation, yoga, diets, exercise, etc., are
becoming popular supplemental active surveillance approaches for
prostate cancer patients.
Radical Prostatectomy:
Radical prostatectomy is a surgical procedure, which involves the
removal of the entire prostate gland. There are two types of radical
prostatectomy; ‘retropubic’ and ‘perineal’. Once widely considered to be
the “only” treatment despite serious side effects, radical prostatectomy
techniques have been greatly improved both through skills and the use of
robotics.
Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy:
This is the surgical removal of the prostate gland and associated
tissues. It may be done as a traditional open surgical procedure or
through tiny incisions (laparoscopic). Nerve-sparing surgery techniques
have been developed that can reduce side effects for some patients.
3-D Conformal External Beam Radiation and IMRT (Intensity-Modulated
Radiation Therapy:
The classical technique of external-beam radiation therapy has been
replaced in many cases by these two types of 3-dimensional radiation
therapy that use computer-generated images to pinpoint the size and
shape of the tumor. Thin beams of radiation of different intensities are
aimed at the tumor from many angles. This type of radiation therapy
reduces the damage to healthy tissue adjacent to the tumor.
Brachytherapy (seed implantation):
A procedure in which radioactive material sealed in needles, seeds,
wires, or catheters is placed directly into or near a tumor. Also called
internal radiation, implant radiation, or interstitial radiation
therapy. High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy is a temporary implantation
technique that positions a radioactive iridium wire into the tumor for a
few seconds and then removes it.
Cryotherapy (cold therapy):
This minimally invasive procedure uses extremely cold temperatures for
controlled freezing of the prostate gland to destroy the cancerous
cells. In some cases, a nerve-sparing technique may be used.
Focal Cryotherapy:
A more localized treatment uses extremely cold temperatures directed at
the cancerous foci within the gland and limits side effects by avoiding
the edges of the gland.
Neutron/Proton Beam Radiation:
This type of radiation therapy uses a much stronger beam than
conventional radiation therapy; together, the two forms of radiation are
used in patients with bulky tumors or more aggressive forms of prostate
cancer.
Gene Therapy:
This treatment involves the injection of a harmless virus particle,
which has been modified by adding prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
enhancer-promoter elements directly into the prostate gland. It
reproduces in cells that produce PSA, eventually killing the cancer
cells.
Radio-frequency (RF):
RF therapy uses low-level radio frequency (RF) energy to destroy excess
prostatic tissue, without damaging the urethra or surrounding healthy
tissue.
High intensity frequency ultrasound (HIFU):
HIFU is a noninvasive treatment that uses precision-focused ultrasound
waves to heat and destroy (ablate) targeted prostatic tissue without
affecting healthy surrounding tissue: RF and HIFU systems are new
methods that are used overseas and are currently under investigation for
treating prostate cancer in the U.S.
Hormonal Blockade Therapy:
Prostate cancer cells need certain hormones (called androgens) to grow.
Also called Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT), hormone blockade therapy
for prostate cancer decreases the level of testosterone and other
androgens in a man’s body. This drop in hormone level slows or stops the
growth of prostate cancer cells, even if the cells have spread to other
parts of the body.
Chemotherapy:
Various chemotherapeutic agents are used to kill the tumor cells or
impair their ability to multiply. For men with prostate cancer,
chemotherapy is mainly used when cancer has spread beyond the prostate
gland, and when hormone blockade therapy has stopped controlling the
cancer.
Active Surveillance: 