Prostate cancer occurs in the prostate — a gland that produces fluid to transport and nourish semen. Your prostate gland surrounds the tube that carries urine and semen out of your body, known as the urethra. There are also nerves, blood vessels, and muscles around your prostate to help with urinary and sexual function.
Most of the time, prostate cancer stays isolated to the gland, providing a much better prognosis for effective treatment.
Treatments for prostate cancer include:
However, these can significantly impact your physical health and leave you with long-term side effects.
At his practices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Paul Chung, MD, FACS, and our team want you to know that seeking effective follow-up and rehabilitative care after beating prostate cancer is vital for minimizing long-term side effects of the cancer and its treatments.
So, in this month’s blog, we’re discussing some common impacts of prostate cancer and how we can help lessen that impact.
ED is a condition that occurs when you have difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection that’s satisfactory for sex.
The nerves that surround your prostate play a vital role in sexual function, and they often experience some damage from cancer treatments, even if providers strive to protect them.
In addition, hormone therapy for prostate cancer can lower your testosterone and your sex drive.
While many men find that erectile function returns within a year or two of completing cancer treatments, it’s not the case for everyone.
At his practice, Dr. Chung offers several treatments to restore sexual wellness, and he creates his treatment plan based on your symptoms, personal preferences, and lifestyle. Common treatments for restored erectile function include injection, vacuum devices, and implants.
Peyronie’s disease is a condition that occurs when fibrous scar tissue builds up under the skin of your penis. It often leads to a shortening or curving of the penis, which is most noticeable when erect. Many men also experience painful erections when dealing with Peyronie’s disease.
While the relationship between Peyronie’s disease and cancer treatments is still being explored, experts believe major surgeries done to remove cancerous tissue can lead to scar tissue buildup and subsequent sexual dysfunction.
It’s important to seek treatment for Peyronie’s disease to prevent continued scar tissue development. Dr. Chung can eliminate the rigid and fibrous tissues through various methods, including injections and different surgical procedures.
Stress urinary incontinence is a condition that occurs when weakened bladder and sphincter muscles aren’t able to control urinary flow after experiencing sudden pressure, leading to urinary leaks and accidents.
Many prostate cancer treatments, including radiation therapy, can damage your bladder, sphincter muscles, and urethra. This makes it difficult to control urinary function, so you may experience urine leaks whenever you:
Pelvic floor strengthening exercises can often restore full urinary function, but if your incontinence doesn’t improve with physical therapy, surgical intervention might be necessary.
If you’ve recently completed treatments for prostate cancer, we encourage you to start seeing our team for rehabilitative care to minimize long-term effects.
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Chung by calling your nearest office location or using our online booking feature today.
