Prostate Therapy

Every man has a prostate. The prostate is a large gland of the male reproductive system. Located in front of the rectum, the prostate gland surrounds the urethra immediately below the bladder. Its primary function is to secrete and store a part of seminal fluid, one of the sperm of constituents. The size of the gland increases with age. Normally a healthy prostate is about the size of a chestnut weighting 15 to 25 g in adulthood. It is very small at birth, and starts increasing in volume at puberty. This gland will undergo a second period of growth after age 60; this is often called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a non-cancerous medical condition.  

Different forms of therapy can be used to treat prostate disorders. Usually, treatment varies depending on medical condition.  In the case of BPH, no radiotherapy or chemotherapy is required; the therapy includes taking drugs. Prostate cancer, however, may require chemotherapy.  

BPH (Benign prostatic hyperplasia): in the past, BPH used to be treated with herbal medicines and surgical reduction of the prostate gland, mainly transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP); in recent years, however, a range of prostate cancer treatment options has been significantly expanded. However, the treatment of choice for BPH depends mainly on the patient age and severity of the symptoms. In some cases, traditional medical treatment can be considered. Regardless of the therapy used, a healthy lifestyle and healthy balanced diet are important.    

In case of prostatitis, antibiotic treatment may be the only treatment option. In case of prostate cancer, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, surgical therapy and following therapies are often used:  

Cryotherapy: prostate cancer cryotherapy consists of using extreme cold temperature to damage diseased cells in the prostate gland. During the procedure, your doctor inserts special needles that will generate temperatures below 0 ° C. Cryotherapy is usually performed under general anesthesia. Undergoing prostate cancer cryotherapy can lead to good results in most men; but, it is not without adverse effects, mainly: 

• Impotence  
• Incontinence  
• Swelling of the scrotum    
• Collection of fluid in the scrotum (scrotal edema)  
• Irritation, itching or burningduring Urination  
• Blood in the urine (hematuria)  
• Urethro-rectal fistula (rare but serious side effects)    
• Urinary Obstruction by the passage of dead tissue through the urethra.   

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) – this therapy is used to destroy the tissue of the prostate gland by therapeutically burning malignant cells of the prostate with focused ultrasound. This is an image-guided procedure; during the procedure, a probe is inserted into the rectum of the patient under anesthesia which allows to both visualizing the prostate gland and generating high intensity focused ultrasound that will destroy cancer cells. HIFU treatment lasts between 1:30 and 2:30, and can be performed on an outpatient or during a short hospital stay.