When Medication Is Not Enough Or An Option: Five Types Of Prostate Surgery Doctors Have The Option To Do
When prostate cancer is found in its early stages (the disease is still within the prostate gland), surgery is often considered for treatment. If you didn't know before, there are several types of prostate surgery that you can choose from. But what one is right for you?
Five Types of Prostate Surgery You Can Opt For
It's important that you know what the types of prostate surgery are so that you and your doctor can choose the surgical method that's best for you. What surgical methods can you choose from?
Laparoscopic Prostatectomy - This surgery consists of removing the gland entirely and all lymph nodes nearby. Doctors will make several small incisions instead of one long one in the stomach. The doctors will use a laparoscope (a slim, light tube) to take out the prostate.
Pelvic Lymphadenectomy - This prostate surgical procedure is done to check out and remove the lymph nodes in the pelvis region, looking for possible signs of cancer and noting that the cancer has spread beyond the gland.
Radical Perineal Prostatectomy - For this surgery, doctors will make an incision between the anus and scrotum to remove the prostate cancer entirely. Another incision in the stomach region can be made to remove the lymph nodes as well.
Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy - A stomach incision is made to entirely remove the gland and lymph nodes close by.
Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) - For this surgery, doctors will use a long, slim apparatus and insert it through the urethra to remove some of the gland. While TURP may not be able to get rid of the cancer entirely, it can get rid of the tissue that's blocking urine flow.
Possible Short Term and Long Terms Problems From The Different Types Of Prostate Surgery
Before you undergo any one of the types of prostate surgery, you should know the risks involved with them. Prostate surgery tends to cause a number of short-term issues including incontinence. However, the problems tend to go away after several weeks of the surgery.
There have been cases where impotence has been reported; in some cases the condition was permanent. Why does this happen? It happens because the nerves were damaged in the surgery. Nerve-sparing surgical methods are used to keep this from happening but this depends on how extensive the surgery is. Sometimes nerve damage, with the hope to remove all cancer cells, is unavoidable.
Bear in mind that should your prostate be removed, you will not be able to make sperm, leading you to have dry orgasms from now on. Thus, if you still want children, you might want to consider sperm retrieval and a sperm bank before you undergo your prostate surgery.
