All about new treatments for prostate cancer
- Half the US male population is expected to develop symptoms of prostrate cancer at some point in their life.
- In the next year, 30,000 men with prostate cancer are expected to have a recurrence — concerning the survival rate half will probably die.
Before proceeding with any treatment options patient should educate themselves about their problems,know the facts and signs of prostate cancer by looking for information in books about prostrate cancer,speak with people and ask questions at supports groups,What prevention strategies to adopt, what are the side effects associated with such type of cancer. How to have a test such as a biopsy performed. Checking and diagnosing your prostrate problem is also very important in order to know the stages of prostate cancer and what food to help prostrate cancer. Prostate overdiagnosis is basically detection of prostate cancer using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing that would otherwise not have been spotted within patients' lifetimes. Since prostate cancer incidence in the US is high, its detection and overall treatment are of extreme importance. Prostate overdiagnosis is used for detecting cancers that wouldn't have become apparent during the normal course of an individual's existence.
If you are trying to decide which one amongst the new treatments for prostate cancer to undergo, you will also have to consider what your insurance is willing to pay for. If you find the costs outlined in the study staggering, you could look into less expensive, less invasive treatments. Moreover,a patient should not really decide on his treatment based purely on hospital or clinic literature, which only lists short term treatment expenses.
Treating Prostate Cancer with Androgen BlockageThe most popular treatment for prostate cancer is still surgery combined with radiation. The surgeon removes the prostate gland, after which radiation is used to kill the cancer. The problem with this method is cancer will likely recur.
Even if cancer doesn't recur, men who undergo treatment (especially younger ones) are dissatisfied due to permanent side effects, such as erectile dysfunction, incontinence, etc.
The good news is that one of the new treatments for prostate cancer, Androgen Blockage, doesn't come with these complications. Rather, its side effects (e.g., low energy, muscle weakness, weight gain) are more tolerable and will usually disappear after treatment.
Among the new treatments for prostate cancer, this is one of the least invasive. It makes use of three drugs to stop androgen (male hormone) production.
Prostate cancer feeds on the primary androgen, testosterone. So if you block androgens, you can reduce or stop cancer.
How long does it take? Around one year. The duration of treatment is crucial. It should last long enough to manage the cancer, but not too prolonged that cancer mutates into a resistant strain.
Doctors may also prescribe Proscar, a drug that protects the patient from any hormonal byproducts that promote cancer growth. The only downside is that while Androgen Blockage won't cause erectile dysfunction, using Proscar does.
New Treatments for Prostate Cancer – herbs for healing prostate cancerWhile saw palmetto is not technically one of the new treatments for prostate cancer as it has been used in Europe for many years, its use is comparatively new in America. It comes from Palmetto palm berries, often found along the coast of the US Southeast. Clinical research shows that the Palmetto herb works better than Proscar (see above) in treating cases of prostate enlargement. Studies show that:
- Saw Palmetto worked in 90% of subjects after 4 to 6 weeks
- Whereas Proscar worked in less than 50% of subjects after 12 months
Even better, Saw Palmetto is much cheaper and doesn't cause the side effects that Proscar does (e.g., erectile dysfunction,impotence ).
This is why among the new treatment for prostate cancer that doctors are exploring is replacing Proscar with Palmetto in Androgen Blockage therapy.