- 30 Mar 2009
The purpose of radiation treatment is to disable the prostate, to stop cancer there from continuing to grow. Because the prostate is the source of PSA, it’s pretty obvious that something is wrong if PSA is still being made, and there are two possibilities here: Either the cancer has returned locally, to the prostate or surrounding tissue, or a distant metastasis—a tiny bit of cancer that probably escaped the prostate before treatment began—has started causing trouble.
Some doctors advocate “salvage” procedures—additional treatments, such as radical prostatectomy or cryotherapy. Radical prostatectomy is generally not a good idea; the risk of complications after the prostate has been irradiated is so high that many surgeons have a hard time justifying the procedure. Also, by the time most men who initially had radiation treatment seek surgery, it may be too late for surgery to cure the cancer; it has already spread outside the prostate. (This includes men who originally had clinical stage T3 or C disease. Remember, men with cancer that has spread beyond the prostate aren’t considered good candidates for surgery in the first place; having had radiation therapy is just another strike against the odds of cure. Also, surgery is not advisable for patients who have advanced, palpable cancer after radiation therapy, for men with PSA levels greater than 10 or 20, or with poorly differentiated cancer—a Gleason score of 8 or higher.)
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- Tags: Erectile Dysfunction, Men’s Health
- Category: Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction