What You Should Know About Prostatectomy Types of Treatment

Added: 01/24/2006

Prostate cancer treatment can involve watchful waiting, surgery, radiation or hormonal therapy. A patient may have combined treatments. In serious conditions doctors recommend prostatectomy treatment. Here is prostatectomy description: it is an operation including a removal of all or part of the prostate gland. Surgery is an ordinary treatment for early phases of prostate cancer. It is a sort of limited therapy. (It engages cells only in the cured area.)

The prostate is the gland producing male semen fluid. Any enlargements or tumors can restrict normal urine flow, due to the fact that the prostate surrounds the urethra. It may cause such symptoms as frequent, difficult or painful urination. If the pain can no longer be tolerated, there's a good chance of a threat of a spreading tumor. At this point the doctor often recommends surgery. We give descriptions of different prostatectomy types below.

Transurethral prostatectomy: During this operation the doctor advances a cystoscope up the urethra reaching the prostate. There smaller tools are used to cut away the adjacent tissue of the prostate. This kind of surgery involves transuretheral resection of prostate and takes from 30 to 60 min. Even though it's not as much insidious as other prostatectomy types, patients often have to spend several days in hospital after the surgery.

Perineal prostatectomy: In this surgery the doctor removes gland through a cut between the rectum and the scrotum. It may involve potential insertion of a laparoscope. All in all, the surgery lasts from 2 to 3 hours. The patient will have to spend 4 to 6 days in the hospital.
\Retropubic and suprapubic Prostatectomy: These prostatectomy types require a larger incision in the lower abdomen, through which the prostate and nearby lymph nodes can be removed. Both prostatectomy types last from 2 to 3 hours and require a 4-6 day reside in hospital.

Radical prostatectomy:

Radical retropubic prostatectomy: the whole prostate is removed, as well as close lymph nodes through a cut in the abdomen. Radical perineal and retropubic prostatectomy: the whole prostate is removed through a cut between the anus and the scrotum. Close lymph nodes can be removed through an incision in the abdomen.

Transurethral resection of prostate: A part of the prostate is removed with a device inserted through the urethra. The cancer is scratched from the gland by electricity running through a little cable loop. This prostatectomy type does not eliminate the entire prostate and may not remove the entire cancer, but it removes tissue that prevents urine flow.

Patients risk short-term or enduring impotence that often follows a prostatectomy, and as much as 15 per cent of patients undergoing this operation have impermanent difficulty preserving urine. These problems are less possible after a transurethral surgery, though. Also, there is the risk that follows many types of surgery - the danger of bleeding or getting infected. But if you leave a queasy prostate untouched, the ailment can extend further and sooner or later grow fatal.

So, even if the trouble is only in benevolent enlargement, it may get worse. At any phase of ailment, a patient with prostate cancer can have management to have power over different symptoms such as pain, to ease the consequences of surgery, and to relieve problems, practical and emotional.
The entire prostate or only a piece of it may be removed. Sometimes the doctor can apply nerve-sparing surgery. This kind of surgery can keep the nerves that power erection. Still, men with big tumors or with tumors near the nerves may not be let to undergo this type of surgery.

Rate this article:

Bad

Good

Article comments:

No comments for this article yet. Post your comment now!

Return to top of the page