Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer, Now What: A New Study Shows That Surgery Is the Best Option

With prostate cancer being one of the leading cancers in men, finding the best way to treat it has become increasingly important. A new study points to why surgery might be the best long term treatment option, especially for men with localized prostate cancer. Researchers from Odette Caner Centre, Sunnybrook Research Institute (University of Toronto, Canada) conducted a meta-analysis of 19 studies comparing the success/survival rates of surgery vs. radiation. All in all, this added up to about 120,000 men who received either surgery or radiation as treatment for their localized prostate cancer. What researchers found was that patients were twice as likely to die from prostate cancer if they were treated with radiation over surgery, and about 1.5 times more likely to die sooner than those treated by surgery. These results point not only to the efficacy of surgery as a principal mode of treatment and first line of defense against prostate cancer, but also as a way to extend the life of men affected by prostate cancer. Through surgery, specifically robotic prostatectomy, my goal has always been to extend quality of life as well as longevity for my patients. Studies such as this bolster confidence patients have in this treatment option, and give them the information they need to choose the best long term treatment option for themselves -- along with the guidance of their physicians of course. It is also important to note that radiation includes the following treatment meth...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news