Facts About Prostate Cancer
The fear of having prostate cancer can be devastating to men. However, it is most successfully treated when found early. Consider these statistics from the American Cancer Society:

• Ninety-one percent of all prostate cancers are discovered while they are either localized (confined to the prostate) or regional (nearby). The five-year survival rate for men diagnosed with prostate tumors discovered at these stages is 99 percent.
• In the past 20 years, the five-year survival rate for all stages combined has increased from 67 percent to 99 percent.
• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, excluding skin cancer.
• American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates for 2008 include 186,320 new cases of prostate cancer in the US.
• Year 2008 estimates include 28,660 deaths occurring from prostate cancer in the US alone, making it the second leading cause of cancer death in men.

Symptoms of Prostate Cancer
There are usually no specific signs or symptoms of early prostate cancer. A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and digital rectal exam (DRE) can provide the best chance of identifying prostate cancer in its earliest stages, but these tests can have drawbacks. Talk to your physician about whether prostate cancer screening is right for you.

The following are the most common symptoms of prostate cancer. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:

• Weak or interrupted flow of urine
• Urinating often (especially at night)
• Difficulty urinating or holding back urine
• Inability to urinate
• Pain or burning when urinating
• Blood in the urine or semen
• Nagging pain in the back, hips, or pelvis
• Painful ejaculation

The symptoms may resemble other medical conditions or problems. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis.

Treatment of Prostate Cancer
The following are some of the different surgical options used to treat prostate cancer:

Prostate Seed Implants – Prostate seed implantation is a procedure that places radioactive rice-sized “seeds” into the prostate.  These metallic pellets give off the radiation over a short period of time and do not need to be removed once the radiation is gone.  The seed implants can be used alone or in combination with IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy).  This form of treatment is also an excellent alternative to radical surgery.

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy – IMRT Is a very precise form of radiation therapy that allows us to focus radiation dose to the target areas while further reducing radiation dose to normal tissues.

High Dose Rate Brachytherapy – HDR brachytherapy is an innovative form of internal radiation therapy.  In this treatment, radiation is delivered through catheters to the tumor area, protecting healthy tissue.  The treatment can be performed on an outpatient basis, but most importantly, precise control over the amount of radiation and the limited exposure to healthy tissue translate to excellent success rates for certain types of cancers.

Radical Prostatectomy - an open-surgery procedure in which the entire prostate gland and some tissue around it are removed. This surgery involves an incision in either the abdomen or the area behind the scrotum.

Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy - a less-invasive type of radical   prostatectomy in which the prostate gland is removed through small incisions using a laparoscope (a long, flexible lighted tube with a video camera attached). This type of procedure may also be performed by a surgeon using a robot to precisely maneuver surgical tools.

Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) - surgery to remove part of the prostate gland that surrounds the urethra by using a small tool that is placed inside the prostate through the urethra. There is no incision with this method. TURP is used as a palliative procedure (to relieve symptoms), not as a procedure to cure the cancer.

Cryosurgery - a procedure that involves killing the cancer by freezing the cells with a small, metal tool placed in the tumor.

Surgery for prostate cancer generally requires a stay in the hospital. The length of the hospital stay will depend on the type of procedure performed. A urinary catheter will be inserted into the bladder during surgery, and will be kept in place for a period of time afterwards, often for one to two weeks.

Possible complications or side effects of prostate cancer surgery:

Long-term, serious side effects are somewhat less common now than in the past, as new surgical methods continue to be introduced. New, nerve-sparing surgical procedures may prevent permanent injury to the nerves that control erection, and damage to the opening of the bladder. However, possible complications and side effects of prostate cancer surgery still exist. Recent research shows that having an experienced surgeon leads to a better outcome for patients. Be sure to discuss the following with your physician before a surgical procedure:

Incontinence
Incontinence is the inability to control urine and may result in leakage or dribbling of urine, especially just after surgery. Normal control returns for many patients within several weeks or months after surgery, although some patients become permanently incontinent.

Impotence
Impotence is the inability to have an erection of the penis. For a month, or up to several months, after surgery, most men are not able to get an erection. Eventually, about half of men will be able to get an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, but without ejaculation of semen, since removal of the prostate gland prevents that process.

This effect on a man's ability to achieve an erection is related to the stage of the cancer, the patient's ability to have an erection before surgery, and the patient's age. However, most men who have surgery should expect some decrease in their ability to have an erection. For men who are completely impotent after surgery, several solutions are available.

  Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/prostate/Patient