When a loved one is diagnosed with prostate cancer it can be life changing. As well as having a major effect on the patient, a cancer diagnosis also has a big effect on the family around them; often wondering how they can be supportive and comforting at the same time. Caregiving for someone with prostate cancer sound difficult and we hope this information helps you.

Being diagnosed with prostate cancer, or any cancer, can leave you and your loved ones feeling worried, shocked and even frustrated. In the UK, prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer affecting men, equating to over 25% of all cancer diagnosis in men.

It is important to remember that you are not alone. You have your friends, loved ones, healthcare team and support groups that can help you through your journey.

Here are 5 things that people with a prostate cancer diagnosis should know:

• Don’t panic; we understand that this is easier said than done. Prostate cancer is usually a slow growing cancer and the survival rate is very high when diagnosed and treated at an early stage. 95% of men survive the disease for 5 years between the ages of 50-69. Your healthcare team should always be there to answer any questions and help you to stay calm and optimistic.
• Do your research! There are different types of prostate cancers and different stages, if you are not familiar with these terms it may be very confusing. Doing research can help you to have a better understand of what the diagnosis means.
• Think about the different options. When treating prostate cancer, there are usually a lot of different options; which will be different for every patient depending on the type of cancer and the patients age etc. Here are some of the most common treatment options:
  • Watchful watching
  • Hormone therapy
  • Radiotherapy
  • Chemotherapy
  • Surgery
• Don’t rush! Take time to think about the different treatment options. Always remember that you have people around you to support you and help you make the right decision for your individual needs.
• Stay positive! Try to always keep a positive mind set. Although this may seem hard, having a positive mind set will help to make your cancer journey a lot easier for you and your family. Remember that this is one of the most treatable cancers, with many different treatment options.

If you would like to speak to a member of our team about prostate cancer treatment please call us on 0161 327 1269 or see our Prostate Clinic information here.

This article is intended to inform and give insight but not treat, diagnose or replace the advice of a doctor. Always seek medical advice with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Did you know that black men have a 1 in 4 chance of getting prostate cancer as opposed to other men who have a 1 in 8 chance?

So why are black men more at risk?

In actual fact, we don’t know why black men are at a higher risk. Although we believe that it might actually be linked to our genes. Genes are sets of instructions inside every cell in our body and are inherited from our parents.

Is there a higher risk for men with mixed black ethnicity?

The answer is yes, if you have mixed black ethnicity then you are likely to be at higher risk of having prostate cancer than a man who is not black. Due to the lack of clinical data, we are unsure whether it makes a difference if it’s your mother or father who is black.

Could I be more at risk?

Typically, you would be more likely to get prostate cancer if:

• Your father or brother has had it (genetic)
• You are aged 45 or over (this is because your risk increases as you get older)
• You’re overweight or obese, you could have a higher risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer that’s aggressive (more likely to spread) or advanced (spread outside the prostate).

So what is prostate cancer and what is the prostate?

Prostate cancer can develop when cells in your prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way. Depending on the severity of prostate cancer, sometimes we find that it grows slowly and may never cause any problems.

However, some prostate cancer grows very quickly and therefore has a high risk of spreading. At this point, we would recommend treatment to prevent problems and to stop it from spreading.

The prostate is a gland (see image below) that is present in men only. The prostate is usually the size and shape of a walnut. It sits underneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra, which is the tube men urinate (pee) and ejaculate through. The prostate’s main job is to help make semen – the fluid that carries sperm.

Does prostate cancer have any symptoms?

Most men with early prostate cancer do not present any symptoms. Therefore, we would recommend for any black man who is aged over 45, with or without symptoms should speak to a healthcare professional about their risk of prostate cancer.

One of the symptoms of men with prostate cancer may be that they have difficulty urinating. Some men with prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body might have symptoms such as pain in the back, hips or pelvis, problems getting or keeping an erection, blood in the urine, or unexplained weight loss.

Do these symptoms mean I have prostate cancer?

Not all these symptoms mean that you have prostate cancer, These symptoms can also be the cause of an enlarged prostate or prostatitis. You can find more information on these areas in our blog section.

This article is intended to inform and give insight but not treat, diagnose or replace the advice of a doctor. Always seek medical advice with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Benign prostate hyperplasia or enlargement, which can also be referred to as BPE, is a medical condition that affects men only causes enlargement of the prostate. The prostate is a small gland that is located in the pelvis between the penis and bladder. This can lead to issues with passing urine, due to additional pressure on the bladder and urethra.

Benign prostate hyperplasia is more common in men over the age of 50, however is not cancerous or a serious risk to health. It important to note that an enlarged prostate is not caused by cancer, and does not put you at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.

The cause of Benign prostate hyperplasia is unknown; however, it is thought to be related to changes in hormone levels as men get older (this is why it is most common in men over the age of 50).

Common symptoms associated with benign prostate hyperplasia include:

• Difficulty to start urinating
• A frequent need to urinate
• Difficulty fully emptying the bladder

The severity of the symptoms can differ between patients; some men will have mild symptoms, whereas others will have trouble that needs surgical intervention.

Treatment

Treatment for prostate enlargement differs depending on how severe the symptoms that the condition is causing are.

If you have mild symptoms, then it is unlikely that you will need any immediate treatment, however will be given regular prostate examinations to ensure that everything is ‘normal’ and that there have been no sudden changes.

There are a number of lifestyles changes that patients can follow to help reduce the symptoms that they are experiencing. This includes:

• Avoid caffeine, alcoholic and fizzy drinks
• Limit your use of artificial sweeteners
• Drink less water in the evening
• Try to exercise regularly

You may also be offered a medication that reduces the size of the prostate and relaxes the bladder; this is most commonly given to patients that are suffering from moderate to severe symptoms.

Surgery will usually only be offered to patients that have moderate to severe symptoms and have not had a positive result from the medication. The Urology Clinics Manchester Prostate Clinic has a team of experts who specialise in BPE – contact the team here.

This article is intended to inform and give insight but not treat, diagnose or replace the advice of a doctor. Always seek medical advice with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Prostate cancer and the right treatment for you

5 symptoms of prostate cancer to be aware of

• Pain or burning during urination
• Frequent urges to urinate
• Loss of bladder control; trouble starting and stopping while urinating
• Decreased flow of urine stream
• Blood in semen and/or urine (haematuria)

If you experience any of these symptoms it is important that you see a medical professional so that it can be ruled out or an appropriate treatment plan is given if cancer is detected.

Treatments

A discussion will take place ensuring all the different treatment options for your specific case are covered. This can include no treatment with just monitoring, surgery to remove the prostate (robotic prostatectomy) and radiotherapy with or without hormone treatment. Newer therapies such as HIFU (High-intensity focused ultrasound) and cryotherapy can be used in some recurrent prostate cancer, but outcome data is of low quality.

Separating facts from fiction:

This article is intended to inform and give insight but not treat, diagnose or replace the advice of a doctor. Always seek medical advice with any questions regarding a medical condition.

Robotic prostatectomy is described as robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery to remove the prostate. This procedure utilises cutting edge surgical and robotic technologies that are well suited to delicate procedures, such as a prostatectomy. Access to the prostate can be challenging as it is not only in a tightly confined space but also surrounded by nerves which supply the bladder, urinary control and sexual function. The robotic approach can help the surgeon visualise vital structures and reduce the risk of damage to these nerves, as well as the structures that maintain continence.

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A robotic prostatectomy can be recommended by your surgeon following early diagnosis of prostate cancer. If you have prostate cancer that has not spread, then your doctor may recommend that you have a robotic prostatectomy, that will remove the whole prostate gland, therefore getting rid of the prostate cancer. Sometimes your surgeon will also recommend removing the pelvic lymph nodes, though this is not always necessary and depends on the type of cancer you have.

Robotic assisted radical prostatectomy is done through 5 or 6 small incisions (key hole surgery) rather than a large open incision that requires a number of stitches. This means recovery time and length of stay in hospital is much reduced. Although this procedure is described as robotic surgery, the surgeon is complete control at all times. The robot holds and manipulates the instruments inside the abdomen, the surgeon sits at a control console in the operating theatre and controls the robot.

This procedure is still done under general anaesthetic, meaning that the patient is not awake during the operation. Surgeons who perform robotic prostatectomies undergo very specialist training to become proficient in the use of the robot, including extensive computer simulation training, training courses and supervised cases observed by international experts. The robot assists the surgeon during the operation and offers outstanding control and precision, far greater than could be achieved by a person holding the instruments. The robot is made up of a patient unit, a vision stack and a surgeons console.

The patient unit– this machine has four arms; one has the camera on, while the others have surgical instruments on them. Each arm goes through its own small port to ensure that it is stable and needs only a small incision of about 1cm in diameter to enter the abdomen. These instruments can move 720 degrees within the abdomen and have more movement then the human wrist, meaning that they can reach areas that may otherwise be missed. A number of different instruments can be used, each with a specialist purpose to help the surgeon to do the operation.

The Vision Stack – connects to the camera, shining a bright light into the abdomen so the surgeon can see as well also having a large HDTV screen so the staff in theatre can see the operation. Important messages about the operation and the equipment are displayed on this screen during the operation.

The surgeons console– the surgeon sits at this console to control the robot. The console sits in the operating theatre though the surgeon does not have to physically stand by the patient to operate. The surgeon views inside the abdomen using a 3D High Definition camera system, with the view magnified by 10 – 12 times. There are controls to move each instrument on the surgeons console, with the surgeons hand movements mimicked by the instruments within the patients abdomen. Some of the potential benefits of robotic prostatectomy include:

• Less pain post-operatively
• Reduced blood loss
• Reduced complication rate
• Reduced scarring
• Shorter hospital stay
• Quicker recovery time- when comparing a robotic prostatectomy to other methods, it is clear to see that the recovery time is reduced by the smaller incision sizes. As the machines help the surgeon to be very precise with their movements and incisions, the recovery time is faster, particularly in regards to return to physical activity or sport.

Once the surgery is complete, the patient will be taken to the recovery ward where the anaesthetic will wear off. Your doctor and nurse will work with you to ensure that any pain is managed. Most patients will be able to go home to recovery the day after the operation, providing that the surgery and early recovery has gone well. A catheter, which is put in place during the surgery, will be left for around a week allowing the urethra to heal. You will need to return to the hospital to have this catheter removed, though this will be arranged before you are discharged after your operation.

Contact our team of prostate specialists here.

This article is intended to inform and give insight but not treat, diagnose or replace the advice of a doctor. Always seek medical advice with any questions regarding a medical condition.