November 8, 2007

Success with Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer


Hormone therapy is known as one of the treatments for prostate cancer. We have heard success stories with hormone therapy for prostate cancer patients from Internet and medical publications. Here we discuss why hormone therapy can be applied to treat prostate cancer. The prostrate gland is found near the base of the urethra.

This is the tube that carries urine from the bladder out through the penis. The front end of the prostrate gland surrounds the urethra and the rear part of the gland presses against the rectum. The prostrate gland is found in the males and is susceptible to tumor growths. These tumors can be benign or malignant. Malignant means that the tumor is cancerous and life threatening.

Faulty Genes Put Right With Hormones
Having a cancerous prostrate tumor is no cause for alarm because if the tumor is diagnosed well in advance, for which there are many symptoms the layman can understand, the prostrate gland can be surgically removed along with the tumor. Thus, one can prevent the spread of the tumor to other parts of the body through the blood and lymphatic system.

It is very rare to find a patient under fifty to have prostrate cancer. The patient can become weary of a tumor on the prostrate gland if he finds the following symptoms: dribbling before or after urinating, feeling that the urinary bladder is never empty completely, discomfort or pain while urinating and passing of blood sometimes while urinating, false calls or frequently wanting to urinate without actually urinating.

Getting Rid Of the Gland

Apart from having the prostrate removed surgically, there are some hormone treatments for prostrate cancer as well. Some of these hormone treatments have known to have produced dramatic results. But, then it is the stage of the disease as well as the age of the person who is treated that also counts.

Doctors all over the world have known for a long time now that cancer can be treated with hormones as prostrate cancer has been known to be hormone or gene related. For instance, men who have had prostrate cancer in the family are more likely to contract the disease that men who have no family history of prostrate cancer.

Even men with the history of breast cancer in the family run the risk of developing prostrate cancer. This led to research on treating cancer with hormones. Research has shown that men live longer with prostrate cancer if it is treated with hormone therapy along with radiation treatment.

The standard hormone treatment is for three years but in many cases dramatic results have come about within six months of the treatment. Researchers from Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital discovered that men treated with six months of androgen suppression therapy in addition to radiation improved faster and better than men treated with only radiation.

Prostate cancer can be treated. Click here for more information on hormone therapy for prostate cancer. Read also other options for prostate cancer treatment here. We provide facts and information about prostate cancer for free.

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