Nuclear Oncology

Posts Tagged ‘Surgery’

The effective cancer treatment is a two-pronged attack: first, the affected cells and destroys the other leaves of metastasis (spread to other body parts). A complete treatment should begin in the first stage only if it is not, as soon as detected to stop the damage to adjacent tissues. In this sense, the most effective treatment is surgery, which uproots the cancer cells of the roots, be careful that the remaining possibilities are adequately addressed.

Types of treatment

Surgery and treatment of cancer operate together, trying to relieve pain and stop its spread, thus avoiding complications.

Prophylactic surgery: In simplest terms, preventive surgery is a procedure which involves removal of body tissue to prevent metastasis.

Staging Surgery: This is similar to surgical diagnosis / biopsy and determines how far the cancer has affected the body. The procedure is more accurate than laboratory tests or imaging studies.

Curative surgery: We try to remove an entire tumor from an affected area

De-bulking/Cyto-reductive Surgery: This is when no curative surgery involves removing most of a tumor, which increases their susceptibility to radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

Palliative Surgery: This is not to cure cancer but to relieve pain and complications in the advanced stages of cancer.

Support / Combined surgery: Comes as a treatment for existing cancer needs additional support, such as a catheter to deliver chemotherapy.

Reconstructive surgery: O, reconstructive surgery, this form does resume before the warp created by the cancer, not just an antique look, but also functionality. For example, breast reconstruction after mastectomy.

Radiation: radiation therapy, palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and reduce suffering, uses high energy x-rays, gamma rays and charged particles to reduce malignant tumors, killing cancer cells.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States, prevalent mostly in men over 65 years of age and is fairly common among men aged 50 to 64 years. However, prostate cancer can occur in men under 50 years of age. The incidence of prostate cancer diagnosed in men in the United States has increased dramatically since 1990 due to the use of a blood test called prostate specific antigen (PSA). More recently, men under 65 years of age have shown a higher incidence of this disease.

Overview of treatment options

There are several options for treating a cancer that is confined to the prostate. Each option should be carefully considered, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages according to age, general health and personal preferences of each man.

Options historical standards include:

* Surgery (radical prostatectomy): An incision in the lower abdomen or through the perineum (between anus and scrotum), and removing the prostate. Surgery incomplete, in which the entire tumor can not be removed, can be followed by radiotherapy. After the procedure requires the patient to maintain a urinary catheter placed for several weeks. Possible side effects of surgery can include incontinence (inability to control urination) and impotence (inability to achieve erection). More recently, several institutions are using three small incisions to perform robot-assisted prostatectomy, resulting in shorter hospitalization and faster recovery. This may be preferable in selected patients, but not all. Read the rest of this entry »