Myth 1: Can prostate cancer surgery cause loss of sexual function and urinary incontinence?
.
Fact: Some surgeries do not.
Surgeons can perform a procedure called “radical prostate cancer surgery with preservation of the sexual nerve” to preserve the patient’s erectile function after surgery.
But it may take time to regain normal erectile function after surgery, and recovery may take 4-24 months or longer. The younger the patient, the faster their erectile function usually returns.
If erectile function still does not return, it can be treated with medications for erectile dysfunction or with a vacuum erection device, etc., under the guidance of a doctor.
Urinary incontinence is a common complication of prostate surgery, but it is usually short-term. After a year of recovery, pelvic floor muscle exercises, and voluntary voiding training, most patients can control urination as they did before surgery.
Myth 2: Do only older people get prostate cancer?
Fact: No.
It’s true that men under the age of 40 rarely get prostate cancer, but age is not the only risk factor for prostate cancer; other factors include family history, race, and so on.
So, older men are not the only ones who get prostate cancer. Young men who have certain risk factors and are therefore concerned about developing prostate cancer can consult their doctor and get early screening.
Myth 3: Should prostate cancer be treated immediately after diagnosis?
.
Fact: Not all prostate cancer patients need immediate treatment.
Providers may recommend “active surveillance” if:
- Prostate cancer is in its early stages and growing very slowly.
- Age or other disease with a short life expectancy, treatment of prostate cancer may not extend life and may reduce the quality of life.
- “Active surveillance” means that patients are screened regularly to see if their cancer is progressing and to decide whether to treat it based on its progression.
Myth 4: Does a high prostate-specific antigen marker mean prostate cancer?
Fact: Not necessarily.
In addition to prostate cancer, PSA can also be elevated after prostate inflammation, prostate enlargement, or prostate massage, and some patients are even born with high PSA levels.
In addition, doctors look at changes in the PSA indicator over time to determine how well the prostate tumor is controlled. If the PSA continues to rise, the disease may not be under control; if the PSA decreases after treatment, it usually means that the treatment is working.
Myth 5: Does having prostate cancer mean death?
Fact: No.
Prostate cancer is generally slow-growing, with peripheral organ invasion and distant metastases occurring only after a longer period of time. Patients are likely to survive for a long time, and even if they die, many die from other causes than prostate cancer.
But this does not mean that screening for prostate cancer is not important; early detection and diagnosis and timely treatment measures are still key to prolonging patients’ lives and improving their quality of life.