One in 8 Men Has Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer, whose incidence has increased due to genetic factors, advanced age, wrong eating habits and sedentary life, continues to be the fearful dream of many men today.

Early diagnosis is of great importance in the treatment of prostate cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men. For this reason, every man over the age of 50 should go to a doctor's control once a year without waiting for symptoms. Robotic surgery has come to the fore in recent years in the treatment of cancer, which can be detected without spreading beyond the prostate with early diagnosis. Prof. from Memorial Şişli Hospital, Department of Urology. Dr. Murat Binbay gave information about prostate cancer and modern treatment methods before the "Prostate Cancer Awareness Month".

If you have a family history of prostate and breast cancer, beware!

The prostate is an organ with a very important anatomical structure, which has reproductive and urinary retention functions, found only in men. The prostate, which is about the size of a walnut in a healthy young man, begins to have difficulty in performing its functions due to cancerous tumors formed by abnormalities in the tissues. Genetic factors, advanced age, diet and sedentary lifestyle increase the risk of prostate cancer that progresses without any symptoms at first. For this reason, it is important for men not to delay their urology examinations. People who have prostate cancer in their first degree male relatives and breast cancer in their female relatives should have these check-ups from the age of 45.

Correct diagnosis can be made with fusion prostate biopsy.

Thanks to the developing medical innovations, it is now recommended to screen for prostate cancer at younger ages by determining the risk status for prostate cancer with genetic screening for people with a family history of cancer. After taking the history of the patients who applied to the doctor, examination and total PSA test in the blood are performed. Patients with suspected prostate cancer can be diagnosed by performing a prostate biopsy. Because prostate cancer in one of 4 prostate cancer patients may not be seen with only total PSA and prostate examination. Today, prostate biopsies are performed under sedation (painless) and using MR fusion systems. With MR fusion prostate biopsies, 95% accurate evaluation can be made and the patient can be diagnosed with a definite diagnosis.

Robotic surgery increases the patient's treatment comfort

For the patient diagnosed with prostate cancer; The treatment method is determined according to age, general health status, stage and degree of cancer. The following modern treatment methods are used in the treatment of prostate cancer, which provide significant advantages to the most patients;

Robotic surgery: Robotic surgery provides treatment comfort to the patient. With robotic surgery, the cancerous prostate can be safely removed, minimizing the possibility of complications. With robotic surgery, bleeding during surgery is minimal. The possibility of urinary incontinence after surgery is almost non-existent in the patient. In addition, the sexual performance of the patient is protected.

Focal Treatments: In recent years, organ-sparing surgeries have started to increase gradually. These methods are used for cancers that are caught at an early stage and that are not aggressive. Instead of removing the entire prostate, it is aimed to destroy only the cancerous tissues in the prostate. While logically correct, there are still some aspects that need improvement. Because only 70% of cancerous areas can be detected with today's imaging methods. Also, prostate cancer is a multifocal cancer, meaning that while it destroys cancerous areas, there may be missed areas within them. However, since the entire prostate is not removed, it can be said that there is no possibility of urinary incontinence and bleeding for cancers in the appropriate part of the prostate. For this reason, HIFU and nanoknife are mostly preferred.

HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Therapy): This application is performed under anesthesia. With a special ultrasound device inserted through the anus, cancerous areas in the prostate are burned with intensified ultrasound waves.

Nanoknife: The popular name of the method performed under anesthesia is the treatment of prostate cancer with electricity. It is aimed to destroy the cancerous tissues by inserting 2-4 needles around the cancerous tissues from the region between the ovary and anus to the prostate. While this method destroys cancerous tissues, it causes minimal damage to healthy tissues. Patients treated with HIFU and Nanoknife may need to have prostate biopsy under close follow-up and at regular intervals.

Nuclear Medicine Treatments: These atom treatments are used for metastatic prostate cancers. These methods have been a hope especially for prostate cancer patients who have relapsed after chemotherapy. Radioactive atoms called lutetium and actinium are sent to prostate cancer spots in the body with a special method and destroy prostate cancer cells. The lutetium atom is quite common. The actinium atom is more effective than lutetium, its side-effect profile is low, but it is available in a limited number of centers.