Radical Prostatectomy to Cure Chronic Prostatitis
Aug 14, 2009 | Posted by in Surgery | 0 Comments
Radical prostatectomy has significant benefits in terms of longevity for prostate cancer patients under the age of 50, research has revealed.
A study carried out by Henry Ford Hospital notes the difference the procedure can make to the life expectancy of younger sufferers of the disease.
The researchers note that the over-65s are the age group most at risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
But they add that it is growing in prevalence among younger men – including those even younger than the group tested in this study.
In the under-40s, one in 10,000 men in the US are predicted to be diagnosed with the condition during 2009.
The Henry Ford study examined three possible modes of treatment – watchful waiting, external beam radiotherapy and surgery.
Life expectancy was significantly greater with the surgical option, the research found, leading to radical prostatectomy being “strongly recommended”.
The process removes not only the prostate gland in its entirety, but also some of the connective tissue to which it is attached.
Earlier in the year, the American Urological Association published the findings of investigations into alternative treatment for prostate cancer.
The organisation reported that the immunotherapy sipuleucel-T, marketed as Provenge, had been associated with a 38 per cent increase in survival rates at three years from diagnosis.