#psa levels

[cancer-second-opinion]

PathSOS - Latest research studies on PSA blood test. Risk factors for PSA screening. Get expert second opinion diagnostic consultation services by international experts.

[healthylivingwithcancer]

George Monbiot: I have prostate cancer & I am happy

George Monbiot: I have prostate cancer & I am happy

Here’s a shining example of taking control of your illness. Monbiot’s positivity, encapsulated by the English saying, Cheer up it could be worse, will see him through this. We need to be half full, not half empty when we have cancer…and keep healthy! (more…)

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[enzaime-blog]

Prostate Cancer: Message of Hope

New Story has been published on https://enzaime.com/prostate-cancer-message-hope/

Prostate Cancer: Message of Hope

Many men don’t have anyone but their urologist to talk with about their fears after they are diagnosed with prostate cancer, but Tom M. had his own personal network.

When he received the news in August 2011 that his prostate biopsy was positive for cancer, the Lowell resident turned to two brothers and also to three friends who had all battled the disease. He was gathering information with which to make decisions on his own treatment.

Tom is 63 and a retired K-eight school principal. His primary care physician had been testing his PSA levels since he was 50. Starting about four years ago, those levels started rising, and his physician was keeping a watch on things.

In August 2011, the PSA level was high enough that Tom was referred to a urologist for a biopsy that showed he had cancer that seemed confined to the prostate. “He indicated the options I had available to me,” Tom said. “He said my job was to figure out which option I wanted.” Enter Tom’s friends, who opted for varying radiation treatments; his younger brother, who had traditional open surgery; and his older brother, who also had beam radiation therapy.

On the advice of his younger brother, Tom had a consult with a team of specialists at Brigham and Women’s and met Urologist Steven L. Chang, MD, MS, who he turned to for his care.

Tom was most concerned with choosing a procedure that would eradicate the cancer and would give him the most hope of regaining urinary continence and erectile function after surgery.

After many discussions with Dr. Chang and with his personal confidantes, Tom chose nerve-sparing robotic surgery; he joked, “I found the ‘nerve-sparing’ particularly comforting.” He also thought the recovery could be quicker and the procedure offered the most protection from cancer spread.

Dr. Chang told Tom he could hold off on the surgery for a short time, so Tom scheduled the procedure for January 2012, and he began to lose the 15 pounds that Dr. Chang recommended he drop. He went on long walks with his dog, a Maltese, and he went to the gym several times a week. He also took part in his favorite pastimes, such as visiting the theater with his partner, Mitchell, taking photographs and studying his family’s genealogy.

Surprisingly, Tom had already started doing Kegel exercises, which strengthen the pelvic muscles that control urinary function; he learned about them even before he was diagnosed.

After the surgery, it was the catheter he required for about a week that bothered Tom the most, both because it was painful when he delayed taking pain medication and because it made it difficult to leave home with any amount of confidence. He stayed inside, and he walked laps through the rooms of his home as often as he could.

Tom made quick progress in terms of regaining urinary control and says he was confident about that control at roughly two months after surgery. Tom credits the robotic procedure as well as the Kegel exercises for the rapid recovery.

In terms of sexual function, at Dr. Chang’s suggestion, Tom took a small, preemptive dose of Cialis or Viagra to help increase blood flow to the penis and to thus begin healing. He says he is now at 80 percent of his former sexual function and doesn’t always need to rely on medication.

“I feel very fortunate to be able to say that,” Tom said. “My cancer was discovered early. I was young enough to consider surgery as an option. More importantly, I had a good surgeon and a good treatment plan.”

[enzaime-blog]

Prostate Cancer: Walking Through Recovery

New Story has been published on https://enzaime.com/prostate-cancer-walking-recovery/

Prostate Cancer: Walking Through Recovery

For roughly 15 years, James Mayo of Dorchester has been walking five miles a day on a nearby golf course and then around Franklin Park Zoo.

This year, the peaceful 35-mile-per-week habit helped heal James’ mind, body and spirit after prostate cancer surgery.

James, 72, was a security officer with the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston for 22 years before retiring in 1986. His primary care doctor had been testing his PSA levels for many years. Beginning in 2001, his PSA began to rise gradually.

James had his levels checked every six months during those nine years, and finally, in 2010, the PSA reached a level so high that his physician referred him to a urologist for a biopsy, and the prostate cancer was confirmed.

No stranger to cancer, as he lost both a sister and his oldest of three daughters to cancer, James knew that despite the risk of urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, he needed to take action.

After an MRI and other diagnostic tests were completed, confirming that the cancer had not spread outside the prostate, Brigham and Women’s Urologist Steven L. Chang, MD, MS, performed robotic surgery in October 2011.

James recalls being in pain for a time after the surgery, but he was only pulled away from his walking routine for two weeks, and then he got right back at it. “The walking helped me a lot,” he said. “It’s given me the strength and the ability to continue. I don’t sit around and think. I do the walking, and that keeps my mind off of the worries.”

The worries were over his recovery, and James said he struggled with continence in the weeks following surgery. Time and doing the Kegel exercises Dr. Chang recommended to strengthen the pelvic floor and the muscles that control urinary function brought about slow and steady improvement.

Roughly six months after the surgery, James said he felt confident with his urinary control, and now, he said he feels he is at 90 percent of his former urinary health. “Every month that comes, it gets better and better,” James said, noting he still does the Kegel exercises.

James feels good, and he does not need to take any medications. “I’m all free of that,” he said. Every three months, James still visits Dr. Chang and has his PSA levels checked; that routine will eventually go to every six months and then back to every year.

“Dr. Chang is a great doctor,” James said. “He is willing to listen and willing to tell you everything about what you have to go through. I like him very much. I was grateful for the quality of his care.”

[talkabouthealthblog-blog-blog]

Prostate Cancer - Screening, Elevated PSA Levels, and Minimally Invasive Surgery,

We have an amazing Q&A workshop today on prostate cancer with Dr. Judd Moul, who is the Director of the Duke Prostate Center and a Professor of Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Moul is an international authority on prostate cancer and an expert on minimally invasive surgery, elevated PSA and screening, active surveillance, and outcomes research.  He serves on the editorial boards of several leading publications and has published over 500 medical manuscripts and book chapters. Here is a list of Dr. Moul’s publications in PubMed to ask specific questions about his research: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=moul%20jw Ask Dr. Moul questions now!

[man1health1]

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by the prostate glands, and is commonly used as a marker for the presence and progression of prostate cancer. The American Cancer Society places prostate cancer as the second leading cause of cancer death in North American men, with about 1 man in 36 dying from the disease.