Wrong Prostate Cancer Treatment Worsens Other Conditions

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 218,000 Americans are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. Additionally, prostate cancer claims the lives of over 27,000 men every year. When a prostate cancer patient has pre-existing medical conditions, treatment options should be weighted carefully.

In a recent press release, researchers announced that all too often, men with prostate cancer are given the wrong type of therapy when they have prostate cancer along with other dysfunctions. The combination of their prior medical condition and the mismatched therapy can worsen their outcome.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston made these discoveries. They advised that three treatments are commonly used to treat prostate cancer. The three treatments are brachytherapy, external beam radiation, and radical prostatectomy.

When a prostate cancer patient also suffers from bowel or urinary dysfunctions, or other pre-existing conditions, receiving any of these three treatments can make their pre-existing condition worse.

This demonstrates the increasing need for prostate cancer patients to discuss their treatment with their oncologist, and to make sure that any pre-existing conditions are taken into account.

Researchers gave the example of a prostate cancer patient who also suffered from a bowel dysfunction. If this patient is treated with external beam radiation, this particular treatment will cause more long-term damage to their bowel dysfunction.

Additionally, those patients who have problems with their urinary system should not be given brachytherapy treatment. Brachytherapy treatment can result in significantly worse urinary problems than what a patient may suffer if they do not receive brachytherapy.

The research study reminds physicians that finding the best course of treatment for prostate cancer is also dependent upon any pre-existing conditions.