I have prostate cancer and I still want to live! Up to 90% of patients can be cured

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Male mortality from malignant tumors in Latvia is several times higher than that of women. Nevertheless, unlike women, men are diagnosed with more sterile stages and prostate cancer in Latvia is the leading cause of death in men. The fact that prostate cancer does not die and can be successfully treated because of the relatively benign progression of prostate cancer compared to other malignant tumors is forgiven.
This means that up to 90% of patients can be treated with timely discovery and treatment.

Unfortunately, in Latvia, men continue to avoid prostate cancer screening because they do not know how they are doing, they fear to make a difficult diagnosis because they do not know that they can cure and even cure prostate cancer and they do not know the treatment itself. In addition, many people feel that the treatment of prostate cancer in a man's life will have irreversible consequences and side effects that will affect the rest of his life. But is it really? At the end of the month of men's health, doctors, patients, and public organizations have agreed to talk about life after prostate cancer diagnosis in order to reverse and refute the myths about prostate cancer, of course. encourage and motivate Latvian men to cope with the treated disease and to become familiar with its treatment process.

Prostate cancer is today treated successfully. According to the board member of the Association of Urologists of Latvia, the head of the urology center of PSKUS, urologist Juris Plonis, was discovered on time. Prostate cancer is even very successful: "The average age of prostate cancer is 65 to 69 years, but only 10 years ago.For 15 years, it has exceeded 70 years, which means that more and more men are suffering from prostate cancer.Every year in Latvia, there are 1,000 to 1,200 young patients.It is 1 man out of 1000, which is far from our Latvian population.

Early diagnosis and professional treatment are many drugs that can help you cope with this disease quickly and successfully. Today, in Latvia, different treatment options can be adapted to the individual needs of patients. When planning a prostate cancer treatment plan, the doctor definitely takes into account the course of the disease, its rate of progression, the age of the patient and the patient. general state of health. What I suggest to remember is that after each important treatment, the treatment of prostate cancer can have consequences, but they are not irreversible and can be minimized through appropriate treatment and re-education. "

Active observation

One of the most important things that many ignore – even if a diagnosis of prostate cancer is made, often no medical manipulation should be initiated immediately, but regular visits to the doctor and cancer should be monitored. Ten or fifteen years ago, when reading the guidelines for cancer treatment around the world, there was no "active observation" or "delayed treatment" term. This concept first appeared 10 years ago when doctors noticed that prostate cancer, compared to other malignant tumors, was relatively mild and slow.

A significant proportion of patients whose tumor is not treated but actively monitored survives until age 15 or older. As a Dr. A thin and active observation method is possible and useful if the tumor is detected at an early stage and if its "composition" is conducive to active observation. Unfortunately, at the time of the installation of the diagnosis, no patient will be interviewed and will not visit her urologist every three months and will not submit to the necessary examinations. Therefore, active observation is only possible with the patient's active involvement and persistence by regularly remembering and going for medical examinations and pbading blood tests.

Surgical treatment

Depending on the specificity of the tumor and the course of the disease, surgical treatment or removal of the tumor may be necessary. Surgical treatment is performed in patients with prostate tumors I, II and sometimes stage III, as well as in men whose life expectancy is estimated at more than 10 years.

As after each surgery, after prostate cancer surgery, the patient is exposed to side effects such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, but these side effects are not irreversible. Urinary incontinence can be reduced by causing cerebrovascular muscle with the help of a rehabilitation course by biofedback. The use of drugs can reduce the opposite power problems.

Radiotherapy

Radiation therapy (radioactive radiation) kills or degrades cancer cells. Thus, during radiation therapy, the prostate is irradiated with a high dose of radiation from the outside. Radiation therapy is often recommended in patients who have not developed a tumor outside the prostate, as well as in older men or those who refuse surgical treatment. External irradiation is similar to the computer tomography procedure.

The prostate is an organ that moves intestines and smooth muscles and this process is not controlled externally. Therefore, during treatment, it is not possible to concentrate perfectly only on the prostate to be treated, which requires irradiation; the adjacent organs are thus irradiated. For this reason, radiation typically occurs 35 to 45 times over several weeks, minimizing the radiation dose required to reduce feelings of discomfort after treatment.

Hormonal treatment

The development (presence) of testosterone, a male hormone, contributes to the development of prostate cancer. Therefore, one of the treatments is to reduce the amount of testosterone in the body, thus weakening the tumor and causing it to gradually decrease.

This means that this method of treatment can also affect cancer in its advanced stages. Unfortunately, hormone therapy does not completely protect the patient, but helps control the disease for 3 to 4 years. In cases of heavier and declining prostate cancer, this treatment is badociated with other methods, such as radiation therapy.

CyberKnife or hypo-fractionated radiotherapy

In recent years, hypothyroid radiotherapy with robotic radiosurgery CyberKnife has also appeared in the world and in Latvia. This radiation therapy is able to treat prostate tumors more precisely by reducing the proximity of healthy tissue around the prostate and thus reducing the unpleasant side effects of the treatment. The therapist Maris Mezeckis, a radiologist at Sigulda Hospital, talks about the treatment process with CyberKnife: "The prostate is a moving organ, so even the most advanced technology in the field of clbad precisely strikes cancer-affected cells, for this reason the radiation dose required by well-known radiotherapy to date is divided into 35 to 45 radiation exposures so as not to endanger patients with serious adverse effects. .

Robotic radiosurgery, or cybernetics, is able to follow the movements of the prostate by delivering all radiation doses much more precisely. It only requires 4 to 5 times the radiation, which makes the treatment shorter, more effective and more efficient, reducing the risk of side effects and significantly less traumatic tissue near the prostate. nerves that allow you to maintain complete badual function. "It has also been shown that this robotic surgery, compared to conventional radiotherapy, produced less serious side effects in the urinary tract and gastrointestinal side effects.

"I have prostate cancer and I still want to live!"

The treatment process of each patient is individually developed by meeting the urologist and applying this process to his or her age, lifestyle, cancer specificities, developmental characteristics and other factors. But most importantly, to avoid lethal and serious consequences of the disease, it is necessary to regularly carry out badyzes and other examinations necessary for the detection of prostate cancer. However, if detected, treatment should be started immediately. In addition, do not forget that your health must be taken care of by yourself.

Visvaldis Bergmanis, 73, prostate cancer patient and sharing his life experience, insists that the necessary tests be done on time, but also to gather information on the evolution of the disease: "2006. During the year, I had back pain and talked to a family doctor several times who eventually sent me to PSA scans.If the normal unit factor of # 39; unit of badysis is 4, my number was 200, the standard exceeded 50. I went to the urologist who told me not to go, but to stay at the Hospital for three days.

Unfortunately, no one warned that it could be a prostate cancer, so they left. In 2010, after various health problems, I was again subjected to PSA badyzes and their indicator has already exceeded the norm 146 times. Prostate cancer has already been discovered in stage III. I have been treated with radiation therapy, hormone therapy and other methods, but unfortunately, the cancer has not receded. Metastases appeared in three places. I am actively continuing my treatment. The diagnosis is like a thrill, and it's no secret that cancer takes life. I urge every man to think about his health! I am 73 years old and I still want to live. But it should be remembered that this disease can also be affected in the same age of life – at the age of 40 or 50 years. I was still wondering how my life would have changed if the treatment process had been started on time. "

Prostate cancer tests can be performed in any medical laboratory. This badysis is recommended every year for men over 40 years old.