what is the best course of action if you have prostate cancer?
My Dad has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer and the doctor gave him 2 options, normal open surgery or robotic surgery. Can anyone tell me which of these is better and why?
Also, he is keen not to have any surgery at all and would prefer to have radiation, the doctor said in a man of his age (55) that radiation might cause problems down the track (he did not specify) and he would not recommend it. Is there anyone who has had radiation treatment for this who would disagree?
He has caught it quite early and it is only in half of his prostate.
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There is no treatment that has a clear advantage in overall survival when it comes to prostate cancer. Many men choose to not teat it at all for the first few years, as it is usually slow growing and can be managed for long periods of time. However, in someone as young as your dad it should be treated for cure.
If he is going the surgery route I would definitely go robotic. It is more precise, less invasive, has a faster recovery and there is less risk of side effects. To get the biggest advantage from this surgery you wan to make sure the surgeon has several under his belt as this is still fairly new in some areas of the country and it does take some getting used to.
There are several types of radiation. At a minimum I want IMRT. Someone else mentioned Proton Therapy, which many men swear by. It is available at Loma Linda here in southern California. There is also Cyber Knife that was invented at Stanford several years ago. However it is still not available everywhere, but we do have it at several hospitals in southern California.
At the very least he should get a second opinion and it should be from a teaching facility. These hospitals are nearly always designated cancer hospitals, they see the most unusual cases, are involved in research and have the best equipment. Some of the treatment I mentioned requires very expensive equipment, which is often out of reach for many community hospitals. Best wishes to you and your dad.
There is a hospital in Southern Calif that has something called Proton Therapy, a form of radiation treatment that is supposed to be better than the traditional radiation therapy…other hospitals may have it also, not sure. I was diagnosed with prostate C and through prayer, God has healed mine - that is always the best treatment :}
Robotic surgery along with radiation to make sure.
I had the surgery because the Doctor said it was the best option. After removing the prostate and glands I still have the cancer. The Doctor really doesn’t know how bad it is until it’s removed and a biopsy done on it. Radiation won’t cause any more problems than the surgery. It depends on how well the Doctor does his job. If I could do it over I would go with radiation and maybe hormones. Any treatment for prostate cancer can cause problems. Loss of bladder control and sexual problems.
There is no one single best course of action that is best for every man. Check out: http://www.ehow.com/how_5308649_prostate-cancer-treatment.html
I was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 51 in 2006, and after much research, discussions with others who had various treatments, and soul-searching, decided on the radiation treatment provided by Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia. Before you Dad makes any decisions, please suggest that he visit their website, http://www.rcog.com. (While there are side and after-effects of from any prostate cancer treatment, I would have to say that mine have been relatively mild.) Just make certain you thoroughly research ALL you options before making a decision.
I was diagnosed in the spring of 2008 with a gleason score of 9. I went through the whole workup process at Mass General Hospital in Boston, meeting with a surgeon, 2 different radiation oncologists, and an oncologist. The surgeon was the most objective, recommending external beam radiation rather than surgery. The radiation oncologists were helpful to a degree although they disagreed on the length of the hormone therapy they thought should accompany radiation. I was told that even though they have a Proton Therapy facility at MGH it wasn’t being used for prostate cancer - too mundane. I talked to Loma Linda Hospital about going there for Proton Therapy but the waiting list was 6 months or more and they recommended I seek treatment sooner than that. Ultimately I went to another Proton Facility in Jacksonville, FL for a 40 treatment regimen of proton therapy beginning at the end of June, 2008. Once you get past the administrative aggravations the actual people who do the hands on treatment are exceptional.
After finishing the treatment there I returned home and began a 6 month hormone therapy program using the drug Lupron. This treatment was far more aggravating then the proton therapy. I finished that thankfully in May of this year and as it gradually flushes out of my system I am almost back to normal.
I did a lot of research before choosing proton therapy. A most useful book was "You Can Beat Prostate Cancer" by Robert J. Marckini, available at Amazon.com. There are now 6 proton centers in the US with the Philadelphia center due to be next to go online. I would encourage you to read the book and then call Loma Linda or Florida if you decide on proton therapy. Several links are:
http://www.protons.com/ (loma linda)
http://www.floridaproton.org/ (Jacksonville)
http://www.protonbob.com (Very useful site by the book author)
Good luck with your decision. If I can be of any further help let me know.