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How prostate cancer may affect your life.
Unlike many other types, most prostate cancers (about 80%) get worse slowly, so men may have it for many years without symptoms. During this time, people with low-risk prostate cancer (which has not spread beyond the prostate gland) may not need any treatment. About one in five men with prostate cancer has a fast-growing cancer. You can read more about this treatment. A useful book on it is Management of Prostate Cancer.
Men whose cancer is more likely to spread may decide to have surgery or radiotherapy, which aims to cure the cancer but can have side effects. If the cancer has already spread beyond the prostate gland by the time it’s diagnosed, it can’t be cured. But the growth and spread of the cancer to other parts of the body can be controlled with hormone treatment, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Most prostate cancers grow slowly, so you may not get any symptoms for years. However, if you have symptoms or are worried about your future, there is help available. We recommend you keep your prostate healthy by using Native Remedies Prostate Dr. (50ml) Support Prostate Gland Health & Normal PSA Levels
If you have no symptoms, prostate cancer should have little or no effect on your everyday activities. You should be able to work, care for your family, carry on your usual social and leisure activities and look after yourself. However, it is understandable that you may worry about what will happen to you in the future, and this may make you feel anxious or depressed and affect your sleep.
If your prostate cancer progresses, you may not feel well enough to do all the things you used to. After an operation or other treatment, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy, you will probably feel tired and need time to recover.
If you have advanced prostate cancer which has spread to other parts of your body, you may have symptoms that slow you down and make it difficult to do things. You may have to reduce your working hours or stop working altogether. Whatever stage your prostate cancer has reached, try to give yourself time to do the things you enjoy and spend time with those who care about you.
Getting a diagnosis of prostate cancer often brings families and friends closer, although it can put pressure on relationships too. Most people want to help, though they may not know what to do. A few people find it hard to talk to someone with prostate cancer, and may try to avoid them. Being open and honest about how you feel and what your family and friends can do to help you may put others at ease. But don’t feel shy about telling people that you need some time to yourself, if that is what you need.
Many of the treatments for prostate cancer can affect your sex life. They may reduce your sex drive and make it difficult to get an erection. If this affects you and your partner, it will help to discuss what you can do about this. Your doctor or cancer specialist can advise you on how to get treatment for sexual problems. More details in the recommended reading: Management of Prostate Cancer.
| Print article | This entry was posted by John Newman on February 16, 2010 at 09:56, and is filed under Cancer, Men health. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
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[New Post] How prostate cancer may affect your life. — via @twitoaster http://www.allvitalpoints.com/?p=672
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