Difficulty urinating is a signal that something is wrong with the prostate. It doesn't necessarily mean prostate cancer, but it does need treatment quickly. Prostate tumors are treated - with radiotherapy, brachytherapy, surgical removal of the prostate or the tumor itself through the urethra.

Reluctance to treat a prostate tumor most often results from the ignorance of the danger and fear of the unknown. Not everyprostate tumor(prostate) is malignant, but all require intervention.

There are four methods of treatment: surgical treatment (prostatectomy),brachytherapy , radiotherapy and transurethral removal of the tumor. The choice of therapy is determined by the patient's age and advancementprostate cancer .

Brachytherapy and radiotherapy are used in older men. The younger the patient is, the more effective the classic surgery turns out to be, as it reduces the risk of disease recurrence and metastases.

Surgical treatment of prostate tumors, i.e. prostatectomy

It involves the removal of the prostate. The operation takes about 3 hours. In the final stage, a catheter is inserted into the urethra and the patient remains in the hospital for two weeks. A few days after the operation (it all depends on general he alth), he starts to get up and take the first steps. The catheter still remains in the bladder to avoid straining the sphincter muscles.

After 4-5 days, some stitches are removed. After two weeks, the catheter is removed. The rest of the sutures are usually removed on an outpatient basis after the next two weeks (more and more often dissolving threads are used, which do not need to be removed).

If the sphincters are damaged during the procedure - and it happens quite often - the problem of urinary incontinence appears. Then you have to learn how to exercise the muscles of the perineum.

Without this, you will need to use liners or catheters. Physical therapy is also helpful. Sexual performance may also deteriorate after radical prostate surgery. It affects nearly 60 percent. patients.

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Treatment of prostate tumors with radiotherapy

This is irradiation with ionizing rays. They can completely destroy a small tumor and thus heal the tumor. This is a good option for men who cannot be operated on. It is also used when the cancer has spread beyond the prostate, butthen it does not guarantee complete recovery.

Treatment lasts 4-6 weeks. After planning it and marking the fields to be illuminated, the patient comes for the treatment once a day. It does not burden the body, so you can live normally.

Irradiation does not usually cause urinary incontinence. However, erectile dysfunction is common. Radiation proctitis can also occur. A complication is the narrowing of the urethra. If it does, it is necessary to broaden it. The procedure consists in removing scars.

Treatment of prostate tumors with brachytherapy

It is based on precise irradiation of the tumor. The needles are placed in the prostate, and the radioactive material that destroys cancer cells is inserted in series.

You have to go to the hospital for a day or two, because destroying cancer with this method requires general anesthesia. Perineal swelling may occur after treatment. Sometimes you need to insert a catheter. Urinary incontinence is rare. More often to the narrowing of the urethra, which is surgically widened after treatment.

Transurethral removal of a prostate tumor

They are performed when the aim is to facilitate urination. Special micro-tools are used to remove the part of the tumor that narrows it through the urethra. The method is used in elderly men. The quality of life improves, and the patient easily lives his age. The procedure should be performed in a hospital. If there are no complications, the patient can leave the hospital within 2-3 days. Complication is sometimes partial and temporary obstruction of urination and erectile dysfunction.

Important post-surgery examination

Blood is drawn to determine the PSA antigen characteristic of prostate cancer. The doctor analyzes the result. If PSA was significantly elevated before radical surgery, and after it it cannot be determined (because it is equal to zero), it is proof that everything is going well and the surgery to remove the cancer cells was successful.

As it starts to rise, think about what to do next. Increasing PSA may indicate disease relapse or distant metastasis. After completing the treatment, the patient must regularly report for check-ups. The first one usually takes place one month after the end of the therapy - regardless of its type.

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