14. Prostate Needle Biopsies Can Spread the Cancer

Prostate cancer can spread to other parts of the body, but there is no scientific evidence that needle biopsies can cause metastatic spread. In fact, the biopsy is perfumed using an 18g spring-loaded biopsy needle, which is already removed with the sample tissue and stored when the trocar is taken from the prostate. This means that the sick tissue never touches other healthy tissue.

15. Prostate Needle Biopsies Can Cause Needle Tracking

“Prostate cancer needle tracking has never been documented in men with the clinical T1c stage prostate cancer. Currently, this is the most common stage of presentation for men. Rare examples of needle tracking have only ever been recorded in a few men who had bulky locally advanced prostate cancer and were biopsied. This issue did not impact their response to treatment in any way as the tracking was subclinical and microscopic only and never lead to development of any clinically evident prostate nodule or disease.”

16. Prostate Cancer Grows Slowly and Does Not Need to Be Treated

There are different types of prostate cancer, some of them grow slowly and others grow and spread aggressively. In fact, there are cases in which treatment may not be required, but it depends on many factors and needs to be decided by both patient and physician. However, prostate cancer is the second most deadly type of cancer among men in the USA. This is why it is important to be followed by a specialized physician, who will evaluate the tumor volumes, the Gleason scores and the regions of the prostate involved, as well as recommend the best course of action.

17. All Men Suffer and Die From Prostate Cancer

It is a myth that all men eventually suffer from prostate cancer and die from the disease. There are many factors that impact the development of the disease. It is, however, true that it is a common type of cancer, which is why men are recommended to be regularly scanned for the disease. In addition, many men are found to have prostate cancer in an autopsy, which means that they had it but it was not significant enough during their lifetime.

18. All Prostate Cancers Need to Be Surgically Removed

There are many treatment options to address prostate cancer and not all patients are treated with surgery. The survival benefits from HIFU, cryoablation, radiation and surgery are similar, and physicians evaluate numerous factors before making any recommendation. Surgery may be the fastest way to resect the tumor, but it is also associated with decreased quality of life due to side effects like incontinence, impotence, shortened penis and positive margins.

19. An Investigational Treatment is not Good

When a treatment option is being submitted to clinical trials and has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it means that it is not available to the public in the country, but that it is under scientific investigation. It does not mean that it is not good, but the clinical trials are demanding and take a lot of time. However, patients can undergo investigational treatments by participating in clinical trials.

20. Prostate Cancer Recurrence is Always Treated with Long-Term Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT)

When a patient is treated for prostate cancer with radiation therapy or other therapies but the cancer returns, there are numerous treatment options. It’s a myth that the only effective method is long-term ADT. “A rising PSA after any definitive treatment option for localized prostate cancer demands a prostate biopsy to detect a possible recurrence. Depending upon the man’s age and co-morbidities, he may be considered for a minimally invasive treatment option such as HIFU or cryo to treat a localized prostate cancer recurrence rather than being placed on long-term ADT and the associated problems of metabolic syndrome and bone thinning.”

21. Cure Rates from Different Treatment Options are Easily Comparable

It’s common for patients to search the internet for cure rates associated with different treatment options. However, these cannot be compared without further information. The comparison may be misleading since few studies include independently validates prostate pathology, patients have different characteristics, and both technology and treatments are constantly evolving.

Learn more about prostate cancer: http://bit.ly/1MlKABv

Prostate Cancer News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.