Well...it depends. First of all it will be external beam radiation. I don't know if Proton beam is used for this purpose or not; it would not be seeds because you have to have a prostate there to put them in. My understanding is that the radiation is given specifically to the bed of the where the prostate …
How do prostate cancer patients choosing surveillance do?
In general after five years of pursuing surveillance most patients are still in the program without progression. You'll see that various studies have various drop out rates, usually with no medical consequence. You'll also notice that some drop out for anxiety issues. The other most common reason for drop out would be a more unfavorable …
Continue reading "How do prostate cancer patients choosing surveillance do?"
Question:I am on prostate cancer surveillance. Can I use testosterone?
I have a friend who is a doctor and has prostate cancer. We made the diagnosis about two years ago and he has elected to do surveillance. His level of sexual activity is improved with the addition of Androgel. He was at his internist's office for a blood pressure check yesterday and the internist was …
Continue reading "Question:I am on prostate cancer surveillance. Can I use testosterone?"
question: if the prostate cancer comes back after prostatectomy, do you have to use hormones “and” radiation?
My radiation therapist colleagues often recommend hormone therapy ( although this treatment is often referred to as "hormone therapy" actually they all take away the male hormone testosterone, so it should be "anti-hormone therapy) because they feel it potentiates the effectiveness of the radiation. It is clear that it helps in the unfavorable cancers, the article …
Question: Would the Interstim device from Medtronics help post prostatectomy incontinence like it does for female urinary incontinence? Northeast Georgia Urology
Usually not. But there is a situation where it could be of value. But first an overview of incontinence as it pertains to the male, the sphincter, the bladder, and the body with and without a prostate. The following is an excerpt from my book and explains the caveat about an overactive bladder in the …
question:my prostate was removed-the psa went to .1 and now is rising.
This question comes up often and is an unfortunate situation. I thought of it myself as a possibility when I went through all I went through having my prostate removed. Think about it... the surgery, the catheter, the leaking, the sexual uncertainties and then the PSA begins to rise. The hell? Normal prostate tissue …
Continue reading "question:my prostate was removed-the psa went to .1 and now is rising."
Question:what do you do when the prostate cancer comes back? Did it ever leave?
From The Decision: a small amount of cancer got out of the prostate before the treatment got there, so it never really left at all. Patients often ask about the cancer coming back. If the prostate is removed and the cancer is already "silently" in a lymph node or just outside the prostate, then …
Continue reading "Question:what do you do when the prostate cancer comes back? Did it ever leave?"
Valentine’s Gift…A Prostate Exam? What ever happened to flowers and candy?
This will probably be TMI (too much information) but I think it will make a point nicely. When I was a urology resident in 1983, my wife was pregnant with our second child Bess. As a medical student, I had done a rotation in Savannah, Ga in obstetrics. I must have delivered about twenty babies and …
Continue reading "Valentine’s Gift…A Prostate Exam? What ever happened to flowers and candy?"
dogs sniffing for prostate cancer…what’s next…seminars for urologists?
Dogs making the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Could a urologist be taught to sniff as well? And to think...I have been posting pictures about dogs on a prostate cancer blog site for a year now. Who'd a thunk it?
question:do you need a rectal exam after a prostatectomy or radiation for prostate cancer?
Rosamond Johnson Search questions on my blog offer a nice glimpse at the issues that concern prostate cancer patients. Here's another one. Probably not. After you have been treated, the PSA which is a bit erratic before the treatment of prostate cancer, is very accurate in determining the recurrence of prostate cancer. If your PSA …
Prostate Diaries 