Jan 22, 2020
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/tcETWj5cQ8g
Keeping the surgeon’s knife away from your prostate in favor or using radiotherapy improves your sexual function by up to 15 % and your urine control by up to 23%. These stats come from multi-site study of nearly 2000 men was just published in JAMA.
Groups with potentially operable prostate cancer received either watchful waiting, nerve-sparing prostate removal, or external beam radiation. After 5 years, those with better behaved tumors had better urinary, sexual, and bowel function after radiotherapy than surgery. Even those with more aggressive tumors enjoyed better urinary and sexual performance after radiation than surgery.
Proton beams seem even better than conventional radiation. Avoid surgery if possible.
Hoffman KE, Penson DF, Zhao Z, et al. Patient-Reported Outcomes Through 5 Years for Active Surveillance, Surgery, Brachytherapy, or External Beam Radiation With or Without Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer. JAMA. 2020;323(2):149–163. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.20675
#prostatecancer #radiation #surgery #incontinence #ed