Prostate cancer- should i choose radiation therapy, or go for removal of the prostate?

I am 61 years old and recently diagnosed with low grade prostate cancer. I have to decide on radiation therapy or complete removal of the prostate. I would like to hear from anyone who can shed some light on this for me. I am leaning toward radiation, but need to know if this therapy makes people sick. All responses will be much appreciated. The "seeds" therapy is not an option for me, due to the size of my prostate. I would like to hear from all.

Prostate cancer- should i choose radiation therapy, or go for removal of the prostate?
Choose neither.


Go for alternative methods which are more successful and less painful.


Please spend time reading the following page in detail which will explain why.


It has a specific section on radation.








Cancer


http://dgwa1.fortunecity.com/body/cancer...
Reply:I'm sorry I have no medical insights for you. But I am praying for you.
Reply:You need to get several opinions. I have heard that the latest thinking is that drs are being too aggressive in their treatment of prostate cancer and that many times nothing is needed. My father had prostate cancer and never had treatment. He died twenty years later of heart failure. By the way Carolyn, how do you come by having a prostate gland?
Reply:I would take my DR. advise. And yes radiation does make you sick. Remember this is your health and your life you are talking about.
Reply:The radiation will make you sick.If you chose that make sure of the recovery rate compared to radiation.Ask your doc which one he would recommend for himself.Then you have to decide because of the size of the prostate is it golf ball size or baseball size. how much discomfort are you having when you urinate,how much is your bladder deleting. Go on line google prostate cancer and read. good luck and god bless you
Reply:I had what they call cryosurgery when I had prostate cancer. I had it done in 1998. They freeze the prostate. I had to get a shot (think it was called lupron (not sure if I spelt that right) every month for six months to shrink the prostate before they did the operation. Go to a web site about prostate surgery and you should get some information on cryosurgery. They didn't remove the prostate they just froze it. I did not have to go through radiation treatments, I was in the hospital for about 9 - 10 days. I stayed in longer because I had some heart problems. I was 62 when they did this. Ask your doctor about cryosurgery. They have come up with some better ways since I had my surgery. Wish you well and good luck
Reply:Both. The only way to kill the cancer for sure is both. Besides you don't need it anymore. You're done with it. You can't tell by looking at you that your prostrate is gone.
Reply:Well, 1st of all therapy depends on which stage your cancer prostate is, If it's still localized then you can try radiation to avoid the complications of surgery.


Still radiation is unsafe and it might case you some (sickness), but it's better t han surgery in only one point, you can still get erections (still a probability), surgery causes erectile dysfunction and you can for surgery only if you decide you don't want erections anymore.


There's also cryotherapy which is destruction of the tumor by freezing it, still safer than radiation and surgery, but less effective.


You should discuss all the options with your doctor putting in mind that if you went for surgery, there would be no more erections.


I wish you all the best and you have all my sympathy.
Reply:Discuss all the options with a first class urologist and do not be afraid to get a second opinion. By the way, do not listen to those here who tell you that removal of the prostate inevitably causes erectile dysfunction - if the nerve bundles are spared during the operation, you will function well enough after a recovery period, possibly with the aid of oral or intracavernous medication. The trick is to get a urologist who is au fait with the latest techniques for treating this disease and not simply to accept what the first local consultant says. Good luck!