Prostate cancer Health Article

Support Groups

The stress of illness may be eased by joining a support group whose members share common experiences and problems. See support group - prostate cancer.

Expectations (prognosis)

The outcome varies greatly, primarily because the disease is found in older men who may have a variety of other complicating diseases or conditions, such as cardiac or respiratory disease, or disabilities that immobilize or greatly decrease activities.

Complications

Impotence is a potential complication after prostatectomy or radiation therapy. Recent improvements in surgical procedures have made this complication occur less often. Urinary incontinence is another possible complication. Medications can have side effects, including hot flashes and loss of sexual desire.

Calling your health care provider

Call for an appointment if you are a man older than 50 who has:

• Never been screened for prostate cancer (by rectal exam and PSA level determination)
• Not had regular, annual exams
• A family history of prostate cancer

You should discuss the advantages and disadvantages to PSA screening with your health care provider.

Prevention

There is no known prevention. Following a vegetarian, low-fat diet or one similar to the traditional Japanese diet may lower risk. Early identification (as opposed to prevention) is now possible by yearly screening of men over 40 or 50 years old through digital rectal examination (DRE) and PSA blood test.

There is a debate, however, as to whether PSA testing should be done in all men. There are several potential downsides to PSA testing. The first is that a high PSA does not always mean a patient has prostate cancer. The second is that health care providers are detecting and treating some very early-stage prostate cancers that may never have caused the patient any harm. The decision about whether to pursue a PSA should be based on a discussion between patient and health care provider.