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BRACHYTHERAPY OR
RADIOACTIVE SEED IMPLANTATION>>
SURGERY>>
Although
nearly all men suffer from a benign or non-cancerous enlargement of, the
prostate, many men in the United States suffer from prostate cancer. It
appears that 11 % of men will develop prostate cancer in the course of their
lifetime. Well over 180,000 men a year are diagnosed with prostate cancer and
anywhere between 30,000 to 40,000 men a year will die of their prostate
cancer. As such, it is important for us to diagnose this problem early, to treat
it early and to allow men to have a more normal and full lifespan.
PSA
The prostate specific antigen or PSA blood test is probably the most
important advance to come along in the past fifteen years. This blood test is
a simple test, run by any doctor in their office, and will tell us if there
is any change whatsoever in the prostate. It does not tell us if there is
cancer, however if it is high or extremely high, it alerts us to the
possibility of a cancer being present. If that is the case, we would then go
on to biopsy the prostate to determine whether or not there is a cancer,
However the PSA test has shown over the years to be a versatile, safe, very
accurate means of diagnosing whether a man has a chance of developing
prostate cancer, a tendency to develop prostate cancer or in fact, has
developed prostate cancer. Additionally, it is a wonderful tool to follow men
in their prostate cancer treatment to assure ourselves that we are, in fact,
curing and correcting the underlying problem. What is very interesting is
that this test has been shown over the course of time, to be one of the most
beneficial tests in cost vs. benefit ratio in many years, and as such has
been recommended by all urologists once a man hits 40 years old. It should be
done at 45 years old and once an individual reaches the age of 50, it should
be done on a yearly basis. Now what happens if the diagnosis of prostate
cancer is made? Does that mean the end is near? The answer is no. We now are
able to affect prostate cancer treatment with the hope of cure because of the
early detection afforded by a PSA test. The newest, most promising technique
in treating prostate cancer is the one that is the most exciting because it
is the least invasive of all of the techniques.
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