Prostate Cancer Treatment

Prostate Cancer Treatment Option
If you've been told that you have prostate cancer, then you've probably had The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test, been physically checked and probably have already had a biopsy performed. During the biopsy, the lab will assign what's called a Gleason score helps the doctor in determining what stage your prostate cancer is currently in. The appropriateness of any treatment is dependant on the advancement of your prostate cancer. Staging and the Gleason score will help determine which treatment program is right for you.

While a prostate cancer is considered serious, don't forget that it's typically very slow growing. If your cancer has progressed to the stage where intervention is necessary, a procedure known as Brachytherapy may be in order.

Simply put, radioactive material is sealed in small seeds or pellets that are placed directly around a prostate tumor. It is also called an internal radiation or implant radiation. There's no question that this treatment program is effective and does a good job in controlling prostate cancer

Internal radiotherapy or Brachytherapy is usually the recommended prostate cancer treatment when the cancer has dangerously spread beyond the prostate gland of victims. The major benefit of this radiation treatment strategy is that it will help to spare healthy nearby tissues. This in turn will limit the side effects experienced.

This type of treatment plan is not available in all hospitals. Most larger towns and cities however have nuclear medicine options available. Given the high success rate of this prostate cancer treatment, it's well worth your time to locate health resources that specialize in this type of program

Remember that just because you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, it's not a death sentence. Many people with prostate cancer have followed their doctors advice and went with a treatment known simply as watchful waiting. As the name implies, watchful waiting is a situation where no direct action is taken to treat the prostate cancer. Watchful waiting may be an appropriate course of action for your prostate cancer depending on your age and other factors.
The Best Prostate Cancer Treatment
Whether a therapeutic technique is the best prostate cancer treatment for a patient depends on various factors. In selecting the treatment, a patient and his doctor should take into consideration the patient's age and expected life span, the stage and grade of the cancer, possible side effects and other health problems that the patient might have.
One of the best prostate cancer treatment techniques, particularly for older men and those who suffer from other serious illnesses, is the expectant management or watchful waiting method. Watchful waiting involves the close monitoring of the cancer through prostate specific antigen testing. In retropubic prostatectomy, the surgeon makes an incision in the lower abdomen to remove the prostate gland. Lymph nodes around the prostate might also be removed depending on whether the cancer has spread to these parts.
In perineal prostatectomy, the incision is made in the perineum or the skin between anus and scrotum. In the hands of experienced surgeons, it becomes an advantageous option compared with retropubic and perineal prostatectomy. The electricity that passes through the instrument cuts or vaporizes the issue in the prostate. Radiation therapy is the method in which high-energy rays or particles are used to kill cancer cells. This, like surgical procedures, is another example of a highly developed method of dealing with cancer. Radiation therapy is classified into two main types, the external beam radiation therapy (ERBT) and brachytherapy.
In treating localized prostate cancer, a procedure called crysosurgery is sometimes used. Aside from cryosurgery, hormone therapy and chemotherapy are also options that prostate cancer patients can explore. Hormone therapy does not cure cancer but is primarily used to lower levels of male hormones in a patient's body. Chemotherapy, meanwhile, is a procedure more commonly used in cases when the cancer has spread beyond the prostate gland.

Asbestos

The Facts About Asbestos Exposure
Knowing the facts about asbestos exposure will help you to protect yourself and your loved ones. The U.S. and many other governments have compiled fact sheets and created guidelines and laws for handling and reporting asbestos exposure, as well as strict guidelines for asbestos removal and abatement. Being informed about asbestos and the dangers of asbestos exposure can help you avoid becoming a statistic.

Why Asbestos Exposure is a Problem

The danger of asbestos exposure arises from inhaling and swallowing tiny dust particles and fibers. Those particles are released when asbestos is broken up or disturbed in anyway.

How Asbestos Exposure Happens

There are many ways to be exposed to asbestos, but the most common type of asbestos exposure is occupational, or work related. Asbestos was used in the construction industry, the auto industry, on the railroads and in shipyards and in many factories that made items coated with or woven with asbestos. Family and household members of people who worked with asbestos were also often exposed to the dust when it was carried home in clothing and hair. People who lived in the vicinity of asbestos plants may have been exposed to asbestos in the environment.

How to Protect Yourself from Asbestos Exposure

Although the use of asbestos in new products is now heavily regulated, there are still ways that you might be exposed to asbestos. If your home was built before 1978, for instance, it likely contains many materials that were made with asbestos. If you're not certain about materials in your home that may contain asbestos, it's best to contact your local town offices or health department to find out about having your home evaluated for asbestos and what sort of asbestos abatement regulations apply in your area.

What You Can Do If You Believe You Were Exposed to Asbestos

Mesothelioma affects thousands of people every year. If you were exposed to asbestos in the past and you smoke, quitting now can significantly reduce your chances of developing lung cancer.

Why Asbestos Exposure is a Legal Issue

Asbestos was one of the most widely used industrial minerals through the early to mid 1970s. The companies that mined, distributed and used asbestos were very aware of the danger that asbestos posed to their workers.
Smoking Cigarettes
Cigarette smoking decreases lung function and may even lead to cancer of the lungs, esophagus, tongue, mouth.
Does Smoking Cigarettes Cause Mesothelioma?
Cigarettes do not cause mesothelioma as the cancer is almost always caused by an asbestos exposure. There is a well known-link between asbestos and lung cancer as well as cigarettes and lung cancer. Often if you have develop lung cancer, have smoked, and also had an asbestos exposure, your doctor will probably tell you both were contributing factors. Both smoking cigarettes and mesothelioma decrease the functioning of the lungs. Although smoking cigarettes does not cause mesothelioma it does have a multiplying affect on the risk of getting cancer from asbestos.
Asbestos in Cigarettes
Mesothelioma is not caused by directly smoking cigarettes unless asbestos was used in the manufacturing of the cigarette. Many people who developed mesothelioma were current smokers or had smoked. Crocidolite fiber is known to cause cancer more effectively than any other asbestos type. The Kent cigarettes used asbestos in the cigarette filters because of its strong resistance to heat. Asbestos were also used in loose leaf tobacco in pipe smoking for the same reason.
Why Smoking Cigarettes and Mesothelioma Do Not Mix
Individuals who smoke cigarettes may have a decrease in their lung function. If that individual also has an asbestos-related disease—such as mesothelioma—their lung function is further decreased. Smoking cigarettes also may increase the risk of getting mesothelioma from an asbestos exposure.
If you have had an asbestos exposure or have already been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma, this may just be the excuse you've been looking for.

Asbestos Cancer

What is Asbestos Cancer?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was found to have significant fire and heat resistant qualities by the early Greeks. At the turn of the twentieth century, reports indicate that researchers were seeing a high rate of death from lung disease among asbestos miners. Still, asbestos use continued in everything from building insulation to automotive brake shoes and more.

The most common forms of asbestos disease include the following:

Asbestosis

Asbestosis is caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers. The fine asbestos fiber particles travel easily on the air and, when inhaled, can penetrate the body’s tissue not unlike fiber glass sticking your hand. In this case, the fibers enter the lungs causing irritation.

While asbestosis is not a form of cancer, it is a type of lung disease and is only associated with long-term exposure to asbestos.

Lung Cancer

Not all forms of lung cancer are asbestos-related. It is common for people in the early stages of asbestos lung cancer not to show any symptoms
Symptoms to watch for include a persistent cough, hoarseness, chest pain, weight loss and bloody phlegm. Should your doctor suspect asbestos lung cancer, he will need to conduct other tests to confirm his diagnosis before proceeding. It is possible, if detected early enough, for patients to survive asbestos lung cancer provided the treatment is in time.

Mesothelioma

Malignant, or cancerous, mesothelioma is the most common, yet rare, type of asbestos cancer. Frequently, mesothelioma will involve severe respiratory problems. While it does affect the lungs, however, mesothelioma is not the same thing as lung cancer. Treatment for mesothelioma can range from surgery to chemotherapy to radiation treatments or a combination thereof. Mesothelioma symptoms, as with any of the asbestos-related cancers, can take decades to appear. While asbestos is still manufactured and used today, the guidelines surrounding those areas are much more stringent and now include such things as upgraded ventilation requirements in plants and full-body protective gear when asbestos removal is required.
Things You Can Do to Prevent Mesothelioma and Asbestos Cancer
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the mesothelium or the sac like protective covering of internal organs. The main cause is exposure to asbestos. Therefore the best possible prevention is to avoid exposure to asbestos. People above the age of sixty five have shown an increased tendency to develop asbestos cancer.
Asbestos is a mineral that is very commonly used. Due to increased health risks the use of asbestos has been reduced according to government regulations. Working in a company which uses asbestos is not safe. The companies have asbestos related safety precautions and one can ensure they are being followed.
1-Insulation manufacturing and installations.
2-Mining
3-Railroad workers
4-Asbestos manufacturing companies
5-Ship yard workers
6-Automotive repairs
7-Manufacturers of gas masks
Many old homes contain traces of asbestos. If you suspect your home to contain materials made of asbestos they can be tested in the laboratory. There are agencies dealing with asbestos removal and they can be contacted for removing asbestos from your home. Public buildings like schools, office buildings, libraries, theatres etc are all prone to this hazard. Living near someone who works near asbestos also exposes you to the mineral.
Asbestos can be transported through clothing, skin and hair. Even a few strands of asbestos can sometimes lead to mesothelioma.
There are other diagnostic tools that can be performed annually on asbestos exposed individuals to reconfirm their health status. Smoking should be stopped since smokers are more susceptible to the onset of the condition if they have asbestos exposure history.
Prevention is the best way out in mesothelioma since it is fatal if not diagnosed early.