Surgery is an important way to treat prostate cancer.
However, recent research has shown that in some cases, surgery may not be a good or necessary way to fight cancer.
This means many men with prostate cancer may not need it.
One study from UCLA found that for men with aggressive prostate cancer, radiation treatments could help treat the disease just as effective as surgery.
In fact, one type of radiation therapy including external radiation followed by brachytherapy, is the best way to prevent the spread of prostate cancer.
The team examined 487 prostate cancer patients treated for Gleason scores of 9 or 10 prostate cancer.
Gleason score shows how aggressive the disease appears under the microscope.
The team found both surgery and radiation therapy had similar effectiveness. The result is very important for the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer.
A study from Imperial College London found that high energy ultrasound beams could destroy prostate cancer tumors as effectively as surgery or radiotherapy.
The ultrasound therapy also had fewer side effects.
This treatment is similar to a ‘lumpectomy’ for other cancers, in which doctors remove only tumor cells, leaving as much healthy tissue as possible.
The team found the method could deliver beams of high energy ultrasound directly into the prostate gland.
It allows a surgeon to target tumor cells within the gland to millimeter accuracy. This can reduce the risk of damaging surrounding tissues.
The study also showed side effects such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction were lower than other treatment options.
In a third study, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis found that prostate cancer surgery offers few benefits to many men with early-stage prostate cancer.
They randomly assigned 731 men with localized prostate cancer to receive either surgery or observation.
The results showed that in these patients, surgery could not prolong life and often caused serious complications such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
The finding is very important because about 70% of patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer are in the early stages.
The cancer is only in the prostate gland, and they have nonaggressive tumors. To these people, aggressive treatment may be not necessary.
Copyright © 2019 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
