Prostate Surgery Medical Malpractice
Prostate problems in many men are bound to occur. In others they may be avoided through proper diet and exercise. The nature of the problems consist of an inflamed prostate or enlarged prostate. In addition there may be prostate cancer and certain types of sexual dysfunction.
Exercise
Regular exercise increases both blood flow and movement of oxygen throughout the body. As a result that increased and improved blood flow enhances the exchange of toxins. This exchange occur at the cell level. This allows toxins to be be returned to the excretory organs. They are then replaced with fresh oxygen which renews the body.
Diet
Diet also is an important factor. Our bodies are 60% water. Maintaining well-hydrated systems helps to eliminate toxins that pollute the body.
Likewise an increased zinc intake can help. Zinc is found in such foods as chocolate, oysters, lamb and low fat beef.
These little changes in lifestyle may produce positive results. However sometimes doctors will steer men to surgery to relieve problems associated with enlarged prostate. Any such option should be closely reviewed. This may merit a second opinion. The surgical option involves removal of the prostate. This carries with it a host of complications. These can be permanent. They include impotency and incontinence. Call, or contact us for a free consult.
PSA
The need for prostate surgery is commonly traced back to PSA results. The PSA has been widely used to detect possible signs of early prostate cancer. However the US Preventive Services Task Force has questioned the merits of PSA testing. In fact it has reported that the PSA should no longer be part of any routine standard of care. This group reports that the test does more harm than good through unneeded surgery.
If the PSA score is over 4, that may be indicative of cancer. Likewise a fairly sudden rise in the PSA score of more than 2 points over a 2 or 3 year period may be a red flag.
Depending on the PSA results, frequently the next step is a biopsy. The biopsy results are measured by the Gleason score. This gives an indication as to how fast the tumor is growing.
Prostate Surgery May Not Be The Answer
In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine it was reported that prostate surgery to treat early prostate cancer did not in any significant way reduce deaths over a 10 year period. The study was funded by the U.S. It consisted of a study composed of 731 men. They had early prostate cancer. After a 10 year period 47% of the men who had the surgery had died. Mostly from other ailments. Of the group that followed the watchful waiting treatment plan 49.9% died. The average age of the men involved was 67 years of age. Their median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was 7.8.
Watchful Waiting
As to the men who had the surgery, 5.8 percent died from prostate cancer or treatment. As to those who simply followed the watchful waiting approach, 8.4% of those men died.
There was a 2% betterment in the surgical group. That is probably not statistically significant.
The study raises some questions as to the merits of the surgery with an early detection of prostate cancer. The surgery along with other treatment may be viewed as a type of belt and suspenders approach. However at this point more data is needed to even justify that conclusion.
In addition to removal of the prostate, other options are what is called “external beam radiation” or the implantation of radioactive beads into the prostate.
Prostate Surgery Medical Malpractice-Watchful Waiting
Another option that is less often discussed is simply what is called surveillance or watchful waiting. This protocol of watchful waiting includes the use of sophisticated MRIs that map the entire prostate. This advanced MRI takes images of all twelve (12) cores of the prostate gland. They locate potential cancer sites which can then be biopsied if needed. However these biopsies are done with the doctor having a map of the prostate showing the potentially cancerous sites. This allows the biopsies to be more precise. Otherwise the biopsies to some extent are hit or miss in terms of finding the site that poses the most danger.
In addition a prostate treatment that now enhances the chance of avoiding surgery is being marketed by a company known as Genomic Health. This genetic test can identify aggressive and also non-aggressive forms of prostate cancer. This distinction can help men avoid prostate surgery.
Prostate Surgery Medical Malpractice
Call, or contact us for a free consult. Also for more information on prostate treatment and other medical malpractice topics, please visit the medical malpractice page. In addition see the pages on Wikipedia.