Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Prostate Cancer Survival Rate Is Unpredictable

By Laura Kelsey

Prostate cancer survival rate has increased due to the constant research going on to find cures and preventive measures for prostate cancer. However, a patient can live longer by other methods. These methods refer to prognosis, which is possible even at the metastatic state. Even changing the lifestyle that is food habits and inculcating exercise as a part of daily routine.

The use of vaccine has proved effective in restricting the growth of tumor after treatment, which helps in prolonging the prostate cancer survival period. Moreover, vaccines help in breaking down the tumor, which eliminates the chances of further recurrence of the disease. However, the longevity of life after the disease also depends on other factors like age and family history.

Nevertheless, other factors play an important role in deciding the longevity of a person suffering from this disease. These factors relate to the physical condition of the person like obesity, besides this, eating habits, ethnicity, and the stage of the disease during the diagnosis. However, observation states that a person has greater chance of survival if the disease has not spread beyond the prostate.

Therefore, if you want to increase your life span after contacting the disease and undergoing treatment, you have to bring some changes in your lifestyle. You have to change your eating habits and impose few restrictions as advised by your doctor. Moreover, you have to maintain your regular schedule of check ups to restrict the recurrence of the disease.

In spite of all these precautionary steps, some patients lose hope as the main function of their love life is adversely affected. Besides suffering from the problem of the rectal area and the urinary bladder during the attack of the disease, they also suffer from prostate cancer impotence. This erectile dysfunction develops after the treatment of the disease.

However, the problem of prostate cancer impotence can be either permanent or temporary depending on the type of treatment adopted for curing the disease. Nevertheless, the sexual ability of the patient decreases during the course of treatment and can continue after the completion of the treatment.

Besides surgery, radiation therapy and hormonal therapy can also cause prostate cancer impotence. However, the level of erectile dysfunction is higher in radiation therapy and this problem can last for a longer time in this mode of treatment, but in hormonal therapy, the period of erectile dysfunction is lesser.

However, if you are a patient or any member in your family is suffering from this disease should not lose hope. If you follow all the restrictions after the treatment and bring necessary changes in your lifestyle, you can easily curb the recurrence of the disease. Another factor, which helps in increasing prostate cancer survival, is the slow growth rate of the diseased cells.

About the Author: