Prostate Cancer Now Has Some Famous Faces

Prostate Cancer Now Has Some Famous Faces 


WAKEFIELD, Mass., Dec. 18  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Actor Robert DeNiro
recently disclosed his diagnosis of prostate cancer. Secretary of State Colin
Powell underwent surgery recently for the same illness. These equally private
men have confronted what many men struggle with in choosing among treatment
alternatives for early stage prostate cancer.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031218/NYFNSG13 )

With over 200,000 men in the U.S. diagnosed with prostate cancer every year,
more are weighing various alternate treatment options to prostatectomy, the
surgical removal of the prostate. This includes I-Plant(TM) by Implant Sciences,
a minimally invasive radioactive treatment that can be done on an out patient
basis.

Surgery removes the cancerous tumor. The major downside of surgery is that
nerves to the prostate are often severed, potentially rendering a patient
impotent and incontinent. So, to limit these side effects and the high risk
associated with any major surgery, treatment alternatives for those with
prostate cancer to consider are becoming more popular.

Hormone therapy can shrink the size of a prostate tumor to prepare for further
treatment. However, hormone therapy usually is only recommended for the advanced
stages of the disease.

Another type of treatment, external beam radiation, is most often given for five
days a week for approximately two months. A machine focuses beams of radiation
into the prostate gland. While the side effects of this kind of treatment are
not as harsh as surgery, cure rates are also lower.

When former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was diagnosed with prostate
cancer a few years ago, he sought out an option called brachytherapy. Commonly
referred to as radiation "seed" implants, brachytherapy is a treatment where
rice-sized radioactive pellets are implanted into the prostate gland to kill the
cancerous cells. Such products as I-Plant(TM) seeds are used in a unique
"inside-out" radioactive treatment. They are implanted into the cancerous
prostate gland in a minimally invasive procedure that takes about 45 minutes.
Patients normally return home the same day.

The best candidates for brachytherapy treatment are those with early stage
prostate cancer. And as far as the therapy itself, the cure rate is high and the
side effects less intrusive.

Getting regular prostate cancer screenings, just as women go for mammograms on a
regular basis to screen for breast cancer, may dramatically increase the chances
of many more men being diagnosed sooner. Opting, then, for alternatives is
easier when prostate cancer is detected early on.

For more information on brachytherapy, log onto: http://www.implantsciences.com/
or http://www.prostatecancerexperts.com/ 

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031218/NYFNSG13

http://photoarchive.ap.org/

DATASOURCE: Implant Sciences



CONTACT:  Janet Vasquez, [phone],

, for Implant Sciences



Web site:  http://www.implantsciences.com/

http://www.prostatecancerexperts.com/ 

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