For a man, nothing is more disheartening than the news of Prostate Cancer. But it’s all too common in aging men in their 50s and up; and new research shows that among 1,269 men treated for prostate cancer:

1. Over 60% had received radical prostatectomy or total removal of the prostate gland.
2. 17% had been treated with radioactive implants.
3. 12% had been treated with external radioactive therapy.
4. 6% received both forms of radiation treatment.
5. 5% were treated with hormone-blocking medications.

The major side effects of these treatments are urinary function and sexual dysfunction. How do these treatments size up with their common side effects?

Urinary Function
Of all men who received surgery and radioactive treatments, nearly all of them experienced urological issues like incontinence. These symptoms became worse in the first year, but improved in the second year, but never back to the level of continence before surgery.

With hormone-blocking medications, men tended to get worse over a period of four years. Researchers attribute this to the degradation of the pubic muscles that control urological function.

Sexual Function

All of the surgical and radiation treatments affect sexual function to some degree in all men during the first year after treatment. But after Year One, surgery patients generally improved within the second year, with no improvement seen in patients with other treatments. As a whole, the study group showed no real difference in sexual function.

Scope of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is quite common among aging men. New research has debated the usefulness of regular prostate screenings, and most argue only men over 50 need screenings.

Many men refuse to undergo surgery or radiation therapy because of the urological and sexual side effects, or rely solely on alternative prostate cancer treatments. Those who do often use techniques such as penile rehabilitation with vacuum therapy devices such as Osbon Erecaid and Osbon rings or competitive options like Erec-Tech. (See the Overcome Impotence Erec-Tech Product Review)

While alternative treatments for prostate cancer are useful in lieu of conventional treatments, it’s important to make wise health decisions on your long-term health. Surgery or radiation therapy is indeed a life-changing event, but it can also save lives.

Find more about this in the Journal of Urology