
Prostate Cancer Surgery: An Overview
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Defined Tag: Prostate Cancer Surgery.
For many cases of early stage prostate cancer surgery treatment is recommended as the first course of action. If you are lucky enough to be diagnosed early then the operation is often a simple procedure in which the surgeon will remove the cancerous section of your prostate gland. Occasionally however prostate cancer surgery treatment does not go according to plan i.e. when the cancer is in close proximity to nerves or the urethra, and so long-lasting side effects are a possibility and these need to be considered before agreeing to the treatment.
If the nerves that control the penis become damaged during prostate cancer surgery treatment then impotence may develop and this will seriously affect your future sex life. You should discuss this with your partner and see how you both feel about it before you agree to the operation. Two other possible consequences of prostate cancer surgery treatment are incontinence and urinary leakage. Incontinence is when you have very little control over urination while urinary leakage is where you can control when you urinate but you dribble a little either before or after voiding your bladder. These two symptoms often disappear after a few weeks however you should be prepared for the eventuality that they don’t.
Prostate cancer surgery treatment is a painful procedure and in the days following the operation you will feel very uncomfortable and may have to rely on nurses and loved ones to help with toileting. This however is a very small price to pay for being cancer-free.
There are a number of types of prostate cancer surgery treatment available and the one you choose will be specific to your case. You need to discuss your options with your oncologist before choosing a treatment as they can offer all the information you will need to make an informed decision.
More often than not the entire prostate gland will be removed so that there is little chance of the cancer returning at a later date. The surrounding lymph nodes will also be removed as this is the first place that the cancer will have spread to and by removing them the surgeon is effectively removing all chances of the cancer subsequently spreading around the body.
A radical prostatectomy removes the entire prostate gland however the surgeon can enter the body through the abdomen or through an incision made between the scrotum and the anus. In some cases, where the cancer is confined to a specific area of the prostate gland, key-hole surgery or laparoscopy may be an option so that only infected sections of the gland need to be removed.
The extent of your cancer and your individual preferences will determine which type of prostate cancer surgery treatment is best for you and so it is imperative that you talk things through with your oncologist and your loved ones before you decide which of the options is the right one for you.
It is important that you take care of your prostate health. For more information and resources on Prostate Cancer, please visit the site http://www.Prostate-Cancer-Treatment-Hub.com
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