When first told you have prostate cancer the quality and depth of the advice and information given by your physician is critical. After all, it becomes paramount to how you and your partner react psychologically to receiving the first shock of the diagnosis and further, helps determine your next course of action; of which there are many. A confusing array indeed.

The following study looks at different types of prostate cancer treatment and the resultant medical issues one might experience from each of them. Other studies I have seen concern the amount of time and information given to patients by their doctor indicate quite clearly that much of the post treatment medical issues mention in the following report are never discussed.

Global Look at Fallout from Prostate Cancer Therapy Reveals Buried Troubles

By Crystal Phend, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

BOSTON, March 19 — Sexual dysfunction and incontinence seem to be only the better known quality-of-life downsides of therapy for prostate cancer, according to researchers here.

Among the generally neglected factors determining quality of life and satisfaction with treatment are pretreatment prostate size, urinary obstruction, and changes in “vitality,” reported Martin G. Sanda, M.D., of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard, and colleagues in the March 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

In a prospective study of 1,201 patients treated with surgery, brachytherapy, or radiation, mood, energy, and other changes under the umbrella of “vitality” were second only to sexual function as a factor impacting satisfaction with treatment.

Click below for the full document:

http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/ProstateCancer/dh/8809

This entry was posted on Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 1:31 pm and is filed under Informative Web-Sites, Prostate Cancer, News Items. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.