What are Some Alternative Prostate Cancer Treatments?

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Although prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of death in men over fifty, there are several different methods of treating it. The most effective method of preventing prostate cancer is to get regular checkups and make sure to lead a healthy, stress-free lifestyle. Also, it’s been found that regular sex or ejaculation helps to prevent prostate cancer. If despite all efforts it occurs, there are some alternative prostate cancer treatments to use if radiotherapy or conventional surgery sounds too intimidating. The different types of therapy vary in their methods, effectiveness and prevention of recurrence.

Hormonal therapy is one of the alternative prostate cancer treatments to prostate cancer radiation treatment. Hormonal therapy disrupts the feedback loop that involves the hypothalamus gland, the testicles and the prostate gland, which all act to control the bloodstream’s levels of dihydrogen testosterone. Other methods of prostate cancer treatments to disrupt this loop are orchiectomy (removal of the testicles) or the administering of antiandrogens, which are medications that stop or decrease the production of testosterone. Many men, for obvious reasons, choose the antiandrogen treatments rather than orchiectomy. This is one alternative prostate cancer treatment.

Ultrasound as Alternative Prostate Cancer Treatment

Ultrasound waves are another treatment – they act as heating agents to heat the surrounding tissue to temperatures that would disintegrate the cancerous tissue. This is widely thought to be one of the most effective methods of treatment, because there are few side effects and very little risk of the cancer actually returning even after treatment is finished. However, this type of alternative cancer treatment can be rather expensive, so if the patient’s health insurance won’t cover this particular treatment it really isn’t an option. However, the cost is well worth it – it’s the most effective, with no real side effects to offset effectiveness.

Cryosurgery, the other alternative prostate cancer treatment, is the opposite of ultrasound in its methods. Rather than heating the cells to destroy them, it freezes them by sending supercooled argon gas through the perineum into the prostate. There is a risk of impotence, but overall, cryosurgery is an effective technique for preventing the return of a cancer. It works by freezing the cells and thus causing them to burst from the expanding frozen water in the cells.

These methods of prostate cancer treatment are other ways to treat or cure prostate cancer, should radiation therapy or surgery not be an option due to medical concerns that would cause complications.
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