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Prostate Cancer
Treatment Guide™

Treatment
Description
Prostate Cancer
Patient Profile
Prostate Cancer
Treatments
Prostate Cancer
Survival Rates
Prostate Cancer
Side Effects
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Prostatectomy

Prostate Surgery

Prostatectomy is the removal of the prostate by surgical incisions in abdomen or perineum, or small incisions and laparoscope use. Prostate Surgery

Prostatectomy is the removal of the prostate by surgical incisions in abdomen or perineum, or small incisions and laparoscope use.

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Prostatectomy Patients

Prostatectomy carries surgical risks and possible side effects so is usually recommended only for younger patients who are in otherwise good health. Prostatectomy Patients

Prostatectomy carries surgical risks and possible side effects so is usually recommended only for younger patients who are in otherwise good health.

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Prostate Removal

Length of prostatectomy surgeries, recovery times, and hospital stays vary according to specific prostatectomy procedure. Prostate Removal

Length of prostatectomy surgeries, recovery times, and hospital stays vary according to specific prostatectomy procedure.

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Prostatectomy
Survival Rates

Multiple long-term studies indicate recurrence-free success rates over 90%. Prostatectomy
Survival Rates

Multiple long-term studies indicate recurrence-free success rates over 90%.

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Risks of
Prostatectomy

Surgical complications, impotence, or incontinence may occur. Risks of
Prostatectomy

Surgical complications, impotence, or incontinence may occur.

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Prostate News

Click here for the latest news on Prostatectomy.Prostate News

Click here for the latest news on Prostatectomy.

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Prostatectomy
Videos

Click here to view Prostatectomy procedures. Prostatectomy
Videos

Click here to view Prostatectomy procedures.

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Prostatectomy
Experiences


Click here to share your Prostatectomy experiences.Prostatectomy
Experiencse

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Brachytherapy

Chemotherapy

Cryotherapy & Cryosurgery

Hormone
Therapy

Radiation
Therapy

Robotic Prostatectomy

Watchful
Waiting

Complementary
and
Alternative Medicine

High Intensity
Focused
Ultrasound (HIFU)

Emerging Technologies

 

Risks and Complications of Prostatectomy

The prostatectomy is an invasive surgery that carries surgical risks. Though valuable as a prostate cancer treatment, a few patients (one half of 1 percent) have died as a result of this procedure. Deep venous thrombosis is a serious side effect of prostatectomy. Deep venous thrombosis occurs when the blood moves very slowly through the veins in the legs and begins to clot. Fortunately, the occurrence of blood clots is less than 10 percent and this number continues to fall if patients begin to move as soon as they are alert. Movement will encourage the blood to continually move through the legs. In addition, some patients use pnuematic stockings and others use blood-thinning medications. A clot that breaks off and travels through the body can cause pulmonary embolism, heart attack, or stroke by lodging in the lungs, heart, or brain. Because of these risks, surgeons usually recommend prostatectomy only for young patients in good health.

For six weeks after the surgery, patients should not try to lift anything over ten pounds. Lifting and straining could cause a hernia at the site of the incision. More importantly, lifting could damage the anastomosis, the new connection between the urethra and bladder. Damaging this connection could lead to long term complications. Patients should also avoid bicycling, horseback riding, motorcycle riding, and any other activities that could be tiring or even dangerous for the patient.

Patients also run the risk of infection at either the site of the incision or the exit of the catheter from the penis. Patients can keep the incision site clean by using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water. Several times a day, especially after bowel movements, patients should clean the penis and rectum with soap and water.

Side Effects of Prostatectomy
Impotence and incontinence are the most common side effects of the radical prostatectomy. When the doctor removes the catheter two to three weeks after the surgery, patients will notice leakage. Many researchers dispute the exact number of patients who experience incontinence. Some believe that less than 5 percent of patience experience total incontinence, which is having no control over one’s urine flow. Most men will experience some incontinence, which will improve after the prostatectomy. Incontinence can range from leakage to stress incontinence, and can be treated with various techniques and incontinence products such as pads or specially-designed underwear.

Many patients are most concerned with sexual potency and their ability to have sex after their prostate cancer treatment. The nerve sparing-technique has been helpful in restoring potency in men with localized prostate cancer with low tumor features. There are two types of nerve-sparing techniques: unilateral and bilateral. The unilateral prostatectomy can spare only neurovascular nerve bundle; the bilateral technique spares both. The return of the erectile function occurs in about 68 percent of patients who undergo the bilateral technique, and 13 to 48 percent of men who undergo unilateral technique. Prostatectomy can also impair the erectile function by altering the flow of blood to the penis.

The occurrence of impotence after prostate surgery is also determined by the patient’s age and his sexual potency before the prostatectomy. Many men do regain their ability to have spontaneous, unaided erections, but the ability will take time, perhaps as long as a year, to develop. Doctors can prescribe medications such as sildenafil, which are oral medications that stimulate erections. Penile injections and vacuum pumps can also stimulate erections satisfactory for sexual intercourse. Impotence refers only the inability to have erections rigid enough for intercourse, not the inability to feel sensation, experience sexual pleasure, or to have an orgasm. Men who experience orgasms after prostatectomy are likely to experience dry orgasms, which is the absence of ejaculatory fluid. The prostatectomy removes the seminal vesicles and prostate gland which are responsible for producing ejaculatory fluid.

 
 
 

 
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