Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center - (Page 37)

CALL Need a Urologist or an Oncologist in Your Area? Call Gwinnett Medical Center at 678-312-5000 to get a FREE physician referral. photo by superstock Two More Treatments to Consider walk around the day after his operation. But, he says, he felt exhausted for weeks and didn’t head back to work for nearly a month. Later, he would have problems with incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Those are the most common side effects of a prostatectomy, says Brooks. On the upside, Nowak’s PSA score was nonexistent. The cancer seemed to be gone—at least for five years. The resulTs: At age 55, Nowak’s cancer returned. At nearly the same time, he was also handed a devastating renal cancer diagnosis. “That was difficult,” he says. “There was a moment of the world coming to the end, so to speak.” But the married father of two wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. After consulting with several oncologists, it was determined that the renal cancer was a more direct threat to his life. Doctors removed one of his kidneys. Afterward, he started hormone deprivation therapy for the prostate cancer. By depriving the body of testosterone, the chemical that stimulates the prostate cancer’s growth, the hope is to slow the cancer’s progression, Brooks explains. The side effects, however, are similar to menopause symptoms: hot flashes, fatigue and tenderness in the chest. It’s also a temporary treatment, as cancers are smart and, says Brooks, learn to be hormone insensitive, or resistant to the treatment. “At some point, it will stop working, and I’ll move on to the next treatment,” Nowak says. When it comes to prostate cancer treatment options, there are more than a few to consider. That’s why it’s wise to consult with all three types of prostate cancer specialists—a urologist, a radiation oncologist and a medical oncologist—recommends Ronald Anglade, MD, a Gwinnett Medical Centeraffiliated and board-certified urologist. Beyond proton therapy, prostatectomy and hormone deprivation therapy, consider these two, as well. • Observational treatment. “It means you do not do any initial invasive treatment,” explains Dr. Anglade, who estimates that less than 10 percent of patients choose this route. He understands why. “It’s contrary to most people’s thoughts and gut reactions to cancer.” The benefits? With a slow-tospread cancer like prostate cancer, treating it preemptively may cause more harm than not, he says. Avoid common treatment side effects like incontinence and impotence by simply holding off. “Many [prostate cancers] will grow so slowly that many men die with prostate cancer rather than from it,” Dr. Anglade says. • Brachytherapy. Otherwise known as seed implantation, this form of radiation treatment involves permanently implanting radioactive seeds in the prostate through needles (while you’re under anesthesia, of course). Over time, the radiotherapy destroys the cancer cells. Recovery is short—most men are out of the hospital the same day—and the seeds have been shown to have fewer side effects than other options. This option appeals to men with early-stage prostate cancer who don’t want to undergo daily radiation sessions. SUMM ER 2013 37

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center
Contents
Phil’s Feature
ACL Double Take
Saving the Littlest Lives
The Ultimate Backto- School Checklist
Join the Movement
Stroke Stories
5 Steps to Better Bone Health
Gut Instinct
Morgan Freeman
Prostate Playbook
The Main Ingredient
Looking Ahead
Virtual Health
PrimeTime Health
Delivered from Devastation
A Big Reason to Smile
Out of the White Coat
Transforming Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center