Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

What type of hormones are used in treating prostate cancer?  In late stage prostate cancer , instead of removing the testes, the administration of estrogen may be used. The female hormone counteracts or neutralizes the effects of testosterone. Among the hormones that may be prescribed are DES , E Stinyl, TACE, and flutamide. Can hormone treatment cure cancer of the prostate?  No. Hormone treatment does not cure cancer of the prostate but is often used to control the activity of the disease and to lessen the pain. Many patients also recover appetite, gain weight, and return to normal activities as a result of hormone treatment . The tumor often shrinks, as well. However, in some patients, for reasons as yet not understood, the hormones may lose their effectiveness and the original symptoms may return. Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer What is LHRH?  These initials stand for leutenizing hormone releasing hormone, a hypothalamic hormone that controls sex ...

This procedure is sometimes used in the treatment of prostate cancer which has spread or when cancer recurs. Doctors have found that the spread of cancer can often be controlled for years by removing the testicles man's natural source of the male sex hormone. An orchiectomy is the removal of the testicle. Removal of both testicles is a bilateral orchiectomy. Isn't an orchiectomy the same as castration?  Some men have the mistaken belief that removal of the testicles will leave them with feminine voices and enlarged breasts. This is simply not so if the man has passed puberty. If both testicles are removed, orchiectomy does leave the patient sterile but usually he does not lose his ability to have an erection. Orchidectomy | Surgery Video Aren't sterility, impotency, and the lack of ability to ejaculate the same thing?  Sterility is the opposite of fertility and means that you are no longer able to father a child. Men who have had a vasectomy are steril...

Either external and/or internal (implant) radiation can be used. The basic principle of radiation therapy is to bombard the cancer with rays at doses which damage or destroy the cancer yet produce only a minimum of damage to the surrounding normal tissues. What type of external radiation is used?  External radiation employs either a linear accelerator or a cobalt 60 source to pinpoint the delivery of the radiation dosage. Some doctors use radiation as the primary treatment for prostate cancers in early stages. Others use it as additional therapy for some patients with later stage disease. Radiation is usually given four or five times a week over a period of 6 or 7 weeks. It is important that the patient be in good enough general physical condition to tolerate this heavy concentration of high energy radiation. How are radium implants used in prostatic cancer?   Radioactive gold (Au198 ), iodine (I 125 ), or iridium (Ir 192 ) is implanted directly into the tumor. Wi...

Yes. After prostatectomy , the ability to ejaculate through the penis is lost. What happens is that ejaculation occurs but it is directed backward into the bladder , rather than forward through the urethra. The semen remains in the bladder until urination, and is carried out via that route. The man who ejaculates in this manner has the very same sensations during sex that he had before except that there is no discharge through the penis. Can a total prostatectomy be done without impairing the ability to have an erection?  Dr. Patrick C. Walsh, a surgeon at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, has developed a way of removing the prostate which preserves potency by bypassing the intricate nerve branches of the pelvic plexus. This technique is now being adopted by many surgeons for patients with early stage prostate cancer. Until the advent of this type of surgery, 90 percent of those having prostatectomies lost their sexual ability, and 2 to 5 percent becam...

How is cancer of the prostate treated?  It depends on the patient's medical history, age, and stage of disease. Stage A disease usually requires either no treatment, removal of the prostate (prostatectomy), or radiotherapy, depending upon the number of sites in which the cancer cells are found. Stage B tumors are treated with either radiation therapy or surgery; both seem to have the same results. Stage C disease is treated with surgery, radiation therapy, or a combination ofthe two. Stage D disease may be treated with some form of hormone therapy, usually used when symptoms such as bone pain or bladder obstruction occur. What is a prostatectomy?  A prostatectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of the prostate. A total prostactectomy is the removal of the entire prostate. What is a retropubic prostatectomy?  Retropubic prostatectomy is the removal of all or part of the prostate when the incision is made from the navel to the pubic bone to remove the...

What are the symptoms of cancer of the prostate?  Symptoms which should not be ignored include a weak or interrupted flow of urine, inability to urinate or difficulty in starting urination, need to urinate frequently (especially at night), blood in the urine, urine flow that is not easily stopped, painful or burning urination, and continuing pain in the back, pelvis, or hips. These symptoms are often the same symptoms that indicate other prostatic problems such as BPH, but they are symptoms which should be checked by the doctor who can detect the difference between a cancerous and noncancerous enlargement of the  prostate . How does the doctor check the prostate?  The initial step is through a digital examination of the gland through the rectum. The doctor inserts a gloved finger into the rectum and feels the gland. It often can enlarge to the size of an orange. The doctor suspects a cancerous growth if the gland is stony and hard to the touch, rather than rubbery...

Prostate Cancer  Who usually gets cancer of the prostate?   The risk of developing cancer of the prostate increases with age.  Cancer  of the prostate is primarily a disease of older men and occurs most often in those over 55 years of age. After age 75, prostate cancer is the main cause of cancer death among men. Black men have two times more cancer of the prostate than white men. In the United States, black men have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world. How can I protect myself against cancer of the prostate?  Studies suggest that environmental factors, such as diet and other aspects of lifestyle, play an important role in developing prostate cancer. Workplace exposure to cadmium may increase the risk of  prostate cancer . The specific causes are still unclear. Early detection is essential. Every man over 40 should have a rectal exam as part of his regular yearly checkup in order to detect the disease at an early curable stage. ...

Prostatic Problems The prostate exists only in the male. Women are spared this dilemma of the ardent cavalier and of the aging male. The prostate is an accessory sex organ that provides part of the fluid in the ejaculate. There is no physical awareness of the normal prostate, but the diseased prostate is a source of great discomfort. It produces symptoms when it becomes enlarged, infected or contains a tumor. This organ is composed of many glands which produce prostatic secretion. The prostate is very much under the influence of hormones but itself produces no hormones. It is a heart shaped structure that surrounds the outlet of the urinary bladder. The import nee of the prostate as a provocator of symptoms is accounted for by its strategic position. By its overgrowth, congestion or enlargement it can distort the width, angularity or position of the bladder out'et channel. The consequence of this is obstruction, irritation or inflammation of the bladder, with its attendant...