Category: Cryotherapy

Getting in the right mindset for treatment options

Posted in Cryotherapy, Hormone therapy, Prostate Cancer, Radiotherapy, TomotherapyLeave a comment

You’ve just learned you have prostate cancer, and now your doctor is discussing the different treatment options. You’re hearing about prostatectomy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and your head is starting to spin.

Take a deep breath, and consider how to get in the right headspace to make an informed decision about the treatments that might follow. These decisions can have a profound effect on your life. That can include life expectancy along with the side effects that prostate cancer treatment can inevitably bring.

Educate yourself about prostate cancer

For the absence of doubt, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017 and have endured both hormone therapy and radiotherapy, which to date has been successful. I’m no longer on any form of treatment, but I’m not one to say I’ve beaten cancer! Perhaps it’s superstition, but I’m keeping a beady eye open in case my unwelcome guest should make a most unwelcome return. Read on…

Picking the right treatment

Posted in Cancer, Cryotherapy, Guy's Cancer Centre, Hormone therapy, Prostate Cancer, Radiotherapy, TomotherapyLeave a comment

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men in the United States. As a result, there has been a lot of research into prostate cancer treatments.

When your doctor tells you you’ve contracted this malicious disease and you’ve picked yourself off the floor, there are many therapies for you to consider. At the risk of telling readers what they already know, among the options are prostatectomy, where the prostate is removed; hormone therapy, which depletes testosterone on which the cancer thrives; and radiotherapy, which fires beams of energy at the cancer cells. There are other options such as cryotherapy as well.

How I selected a treatment

When I was diagnosed, I remember a nurse telling me that ultimately when I had all the facts, I’d have to decide between a combination of hormone and radiotherapy or having my prostate removed. I remember being bemused by this responsibility. Not being a doctor, how would I know what the best treatment would be? It was such a huge decision that was about to be taken by someone intrinsically involved, but without any of the insight required.

Read on

A friend phones with bad news

Posted in Cancer, Cryotherapy, Hormone therapy, Prostate Cancer, Radiotherapy2 Comments

I guess it had to happen sooner or later. An old friend got in touch to tell me he has prostate cancer. A biopsy confirmed he is now part of our unlovely club.

In some ways I’m surprised this hasn’t happened before. I’ve never made a secret of having contracted PC. I’ve blogged about it pretty much from day one, so it’s hardly surprising that a friend would seek me out. For all that, it was horrible news and brought me up short thinking about the day I was diagnosed. But it felt good to comfort someone else and to pass on what knowledge I have on this tricky subject.

It just seems unfair

I met Les through work nearly forty years ago and we’ve been friends ever since. He recently had to undergo a heart bypass, which restored him to rude health after several years of feeling quite frail. It just seems incredibly unfair that on top of that major operation, prostate cancer has now come calling. Not that there’s anything fair about cancer.

Les had been under the ‘watch and wait’ regime and then more recently ‘active surveillance.’ The medics confirmed the cancer has not spread outside his prostate, which is good news. His combined Gleason is 7 and his PSA under 5. I tried to reassure him that his cancer should be eminently treatable.

READ ON