If you knew you might have only one chance to defeat prostate cancer what would you do? This is a decision that many American men face annually. Advances in technology and robotics have opened the door to alternative laparoscopic procedure.

A laparoscopic procedure used to treat prostate cancer is known as the da Vinci Radical Prostatectomy. This surgery was initially hailed as a dramatic advancement in prostate cancer surgery because of its quick recovery time and decreased blood loss (relative to traditional open radical prostatectomy). However, the robotic radical procedure has recently come under scrutiny for having an increased chance of long term complications. Given this new information, each man considering prostate cancer treatment options should question what the trade off he is is willing to take for comfort over potential effectiveness.

Short Term Comfort versus Potential Effectiveness:

How much are you willing to sacrifice for effectiveness? It is not an easy question to answer, especially with the ease some patients have reported in recovering from a robotic radical prostatectomy procedure. In many instances men experience a hospital stay of less than two days, with less pain and less blood loss. From a first impression standpoint the surgery seems like a natural choice and maintains this impression until you start to review long term data.

The Most Effective Prostate Cancer Cure Rates:

Prostate cancer patients look to an open prostatectomy when they need assurance of effectiveness and cure rates. The open prostatectomy, as performed by Dr. Patrick Walsh at Johns Hopkins University, has the second-highest documented cure rates in the world at 80%.

The physicians that maintain the highest documented cure rates in the world are located in Georgia at Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia (RCOG), home of the oldest and largest seed implant program for prostate cancer in the country. The overall cure rate for prostate cancer at RCOG is 84%.

Being effective means using the same standards for cure rates. Prostate cancer cure rates should be calculated using a PSA cutpoint of 0.2 ng/ml, which provides an "apples to apples" comparison of treatment options. Any man facing a decision about prostate cancer treatment options has to consider two things – what treatment gives the best opportunity to be cured of this disease, and what are the complication rates for each treatment option.

ProstRcision Prostate Cancer Treatment:

The ProstRcision prostate cancer treatment relies on two forms of radiation therapy, brachytherapy and external beam treatment, to destroy the cancer cells. The first patient was treated with this procedure in 1979 and annually about 1,000 men elect for this operation. Currently Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia is the only location where this prostate cancer treatment is available. Over 12,000 men for all 50 states and over 40 countries have journeyed to RCOG to seek cure of their prostate cancer.

Consider the Long Term Risk:

So much is known and has been discussed about the robotic radical prostatectomy procedure. The da Vinci Radical Prostatectomy might provide the benefit of short term comfort relative to the traditional radical, but compared to the ProstRcision procedure performed at RCOG, it’s actually more arduous. ProstRcision is an outpatient procedure – men go home the same day.

Also, it is critical to consider the long term risk. In a May, 2008 published study Dr. Jim C. Hu examined the outcome of minimally invasive radical prostatectomy procedures. Notably patients of the robotic radical procedure had a 40 percent increased risk of scarring that interfered with organ function when compared to patients that elected for an open prostatectomy. To correct this additional corrective surgery could be required.

There was also a noticeable difference in need for hormonal or drug therapy six months after surgery. Patients of a laparoscopy procedure typically needed this additional treatment almost a quarter of the time, compared to about ten percent of open prostatectomy patients.

Selecting the Right Treatment:

Finding the right treatment begins with doing your research. The opening sentence discussed the concept of having only one opportunity to defeat prostate cancer. It is a tough subject to deal with. Ask questions. Ask about the short term and the long term impact of different treatment options. Work with your doctor to tailor treatment to your condition. Your decision around your treatment could be the biggest decision you make in your life.

About the Author

John Critz helps inform men about prostate cancer treatment options . His company, RCOG offers the ProstRcision prostate cancer surgery , a leading prostate seed implant treatment .

Read More......

If you knew you might have only one chance to defeat prostate cancer what would you do? This is a decision that many American men face annually. Advances in technology and robotics have opened the door to alternative laparoscopic procedure.

A laparoscopic procedure used to treat prostate cancer is known as the da Vinci Radical Prostatectomy. This surgery was initially hailed as a dramatic advancement in prostate cancer surgery because of its quick recovery time and decreased blood loss (relative to traditional open radical prostatectomy). However, the robotic radical procedure has recently come under scrutiny for having an increased chance of long term complications. Given this new information, each man considering prostate cancer treatment options should question what the trade off he is is willing to take for comfort over potential effectiveness.

Short Term Comfort versus Potential Effectiveness:

How much are you willing to sacrifice for effectiveness? It is not an easy question to answer, especially with the ease some patients have reported in recovering from a robotic radical prostatectomy procedure. In many instances men experience a hospital stay of less than two days, with less pain and less blood loss. From a first impression standpoint the surgery seems like a natural choice and maintains this impression until you start to review long term data.

The Most Effective Prostate Cancer Cure Rates:

Prostate cancer patients look to an open prostatectomy when they need assurance of effectiveness and cure rates. The open prostatectomy, as performed by Dr. Patrick Walsh at Johns Hopkins University, has the second-highest documented cure rates in the world at 80%.

The physicians that maintain the highest documented cure rates in the world are located in Georgia at Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia (RCOG), home of the oldest and largest seed implant program for prostate cancer in the country. The overall cure rate for prostate cancer at RCOG is 84%.

Being effective means using the same standards for cure rates. Prostate cancer cure rates should be calculated using a PSA cutpoint of 0.2 ng/ml, which provides an "apples to apples" comparison of treatment options. Any man facing a decision about prostate cancer treatment options has to consider two things – what treatment gives the best opportunity to be cured of this disease, and what are the complication rates for each treatment option.

ProstRcision Prostate Cancer Treatment:

The ProstRcision prostate cancer treatment relies on two forms of radiation therapy, brachytherapy and external beam treatment, to destroy the cancer cells. The first patient was treated with this procedure in 1979 and annually about 1,000 men elect for this operation. Currently Radiotherapy Clinics of Georgia is the only location where this prostate cancer treatment is available. Over 12,000 men for all 50 states and over 40 countries have journeyed to RCOG to seek cure of their prostate cancer.

Consider the Long Term Risk:

So much is known and has been discussed about the robotic radical prostatectomy procedure. The da Vinci Radical Prostatectomy might provide the benefit of short term comfort relative to the traditional radical, but compared to the ProstRcision procedure performed at RCOG, it’s actually more arduous. ProstRcision is an outpatient procedure – men go home the same day.

Also, it is critical to consider the long term risk. In a May, 2008 published study Dr. Jim C. Hu examined the outcome of minimally invasive radical prostatectomy procedures. Notably patients of the robotic radical procedure had a 40 percent increased risk of scarring that interfered with organ function when compared to patients that elected for an open prostatectomy. To correct this additional corrective surgery could be required.

There was also a noticeable difference in need for hormonal or drug therapy six months after surgery. Patients of a laparoscopy procedure typically needed this additional treatment almost a quarter of the time, compared to about ten percent of open prostatectomy patients.

Selecting the Right Treatment:

Finding the right treatment begins with doing your research. The opening sentence discussed the concept of having only one opportunity to defeat prostate cancer. It is a tough subject to deal with. Ask questions. Ask about the short term and the long term impact of different treatment options. Work with your doctor to tailor treatment to your condition. Your decision around your treatment could be the biggest decision you make in your life.

About the Author
John Critz helps inform men about prostate cancer treatment options . His company, RCOG offers the ProstRcision prostate cancer surgery , a leading prostate seed implant treatment .

Read More......

There is an increasing demand for a minimally invasive radical prostatectomy as a prostate cancer treatment option. Laparoscopic surgeries such as the robotic da Vinci radical prostatectomy have recently come under scrutiny because of an increased need for correcting complications stemming from the surgery. This should cause every prospective patient to ask himself if this is the right surgery for him.

The robotic surgery has been aggressively advertised and has thus has quickly become a popular prostate cancer treatment solution. The surgical procedure went from consisting of 12.2 percent of all radical prostatectomies in 2003 to 31 percent in 2005.

New Review of Minimally Invasive Radical Prostatectomy Surgery:

The robotic radical prostatectomy has been chosen by many patients because the surgery is less invasive and patients typically require less than two days stay in the hospital post surgery as opposed to four days for patients who had and open prostatectomy. Questions still remain about the outcome of robotic radical prostatectomy operations. Published in May, 2008 Dr. Jim C. Hu looked to examine the outcome of minimally invasive radical prostatectomy procedures.


Favorable Initial Review:

Initial reviews of laparoscopic surgeries look favorable. Dr. Hu’s study revealed a 27 percent lower risk of complications during or shortly after the surgery. Patients receiving a robotic radical reported fewer immediate problems including bleeding, breathing and cardiac problems among others. The minimal invasive surgery also resulted in a hospital stay that was more than half as short as a typical hospital stay of an open prostatectomy patient.

On the surface this looks like a potential advancement within the radical prostatectomy community, however the study reveals some serious potential concerns after the men return home. After a longer period of time has elapsed the minimally invasive radical prostatectomy begins to look less favorable.

Increased Potential Long Term Risk:

The long term effects of a da Vinci radical prostatectomy are being put into question. According to the study, men who elected a robotic radical had a 40 percent increased risk of scarring that interfered with organ function. This is a complication that could require additional corrective surgeries to be performed.

Increased Need of Additional Hormonal Drug Therapy:

Six months after surgery open prostatectomy patients typically need additional hormonal or drug therapy about ten percent of the time. Patients who elect the minimally invasive robotic radical prostatectomy typically need the same treatment one-quarter of the time, a dramatic increase over open-surgery patients.

Radical Prostatectomy Options and Risk:

It is important for a man diagnosed with prostate cancer to consider all potential treatment options. If you are considering a prostate cancer radical prostatectomy, or another form of prostate cancer treatment, selecting the best treatment option should be based on a variety of factors including:

- The growth rate of the cancer
- Rate that the cancer is spreading
- Determination if the cancer is curable or incurable
- Age of the patient
- General health of the patient
- Benefits versus potential side effects associated with the different treatment options

When you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, the most important thing to do is to become educated about various prostate cancer surgery options. Learn about the potential outcomes and associated complications. If you are considering a robotic radical prostatectomy make sure you are considering all the facts, including the long term risk potential from this option. Finally, discuss different treatment options with your physician and work to determine a treatment that is best for you.

Questions about Prostate Cancer Surgery:

There are a variety of prostate cancer surgery information resources available online. Educate yourself about your options. Ask questions. Talk to your urologist and determine which method of treatment is going to be right for your health condition. For too many men there is only one opportunity to defeat prostate cancer.

John Critz helps inform men about prostate cancer surgery information and prostate cancer surgery options . His company, RCOG offers a prostate cancer radical prostatectomy and has the highest documented cure rates in the world.

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