Prostate Cancer

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• Prostate cancer is a cancer of the prostate gland (male sex gland) that helps make semen. The prostate gland is about the size of a walnut and wraps around the urethra and the neck of the bladder. The bladder is the hollow organ that holds urine. The urethra is a tube that carries urine from the bladder and out through the penis. Cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow and divide without control or order, often making too much tissue (tumor). Cancer cells may grow into nearby healthy tissue. They may also break away from the tumor and travel through the blood stream or lymphatic system to other parts of the body. When cancer spreads, it is called metastasis.
  
  
• No one knows for sure what causes prostate cancer. There are many different ways to treat prostate cancer. The prostate needs testosterone, a male hormone, to make semen but testosterone may make the cancer grow. You may need hormone medicine to block the testosterone. Surgery or radiation may be done to treat prostate cancer. Two or more kinds of treatment may sometimes be used together, such as medicine and radiation. You may also choose medicine and surgery to treat your cancer.

AFTER YOU LEAVE:

Take your medicine as directed:

Call your primary healthcare provider if you think your medicine is not working as expected. Tell him if you are allergic to any medicine. Keep a current list of the medicines, vitamins, and herbs you take. Include the amounts, and when, how, and why you take them. Take the list or the pill bottles to follow-up visits. Carry your medicine list with you in case of an emergency. Throw away old medicine lists.

• If you are getting hormone therapy, it is important to take your medicine exactly as you are told.
  
  
• If you are taking a pain medicine, especially if given as an injection, your family should learn how to give it. Ask your caregiver to show you how to do this. Take enough medicine to stay comfortable.

Chemotherapy:

• This medicine, often called chemo, is used to treat cancer. It works by killing tumor cells. Chemotherapy may also be used to shrink lymph nodes that have cancer in them. Once the tumor is smaller, you may need surgery to cut out the rest of the cancer.
  
  
• Many different chemotherapy medicines are used to treat cancer. You may need blood tests often. These blood tests show how your body is doing and how much chemotherapy is needed. Chemotherapy can have many side effects. Caregivers will watch you closely and will work with you to decrease side effects. Chemotherapy can cure some cancers. Even if the chemotherapy does not cure your cancer, it may help you feel better or live longer.

Ask for information about where and when to go for follow-up visits:

For continuing care, treatments, or home services, ask for more information.

Wellness hints:

• Activity: You may feel like resting more. Match your activity to the amount of energy you have. Nap a couple of times during the day if you can. Going to bed early and getting up late may also help.
  
  
• Eating well with cancer and cancer treatment: Good nutrition can:
  
  
  • help you feel better during treatment and decrease treatment side effects
    
    
  • decrease your risk of infection
    
    
  • help you have more energy and feel stronger
    
    
  • help you maintain a healthy weight and heal faster
  Eat a variety of healthy foods to get the protein, carbohydrates, and other nutrients that your body needs. You may need to change the foods you eat depending on your treatments and side effects. You also may need to eat more calories than usual. Work with a dietitian to plan the best meals and snacks for you. Ask if you should add vitamins to your diet.
  
• Drinking liquids: Men 19 years old and older should drink about three Liters of liquid each day (about 13 eight-ounce cups). Women 19 years old and older should drink about two Liters of liquid each day (about 9 eight-ounce cups). It is especially important to drink enough liquids if you are vomiting. Ask your caregiver how much liquid you should drink each day. For most people, healthy liquids to drink are water, juices, and milk. If you are used to drinking liquids that contain caffeine, such as coffee, these can be counted in your daily liquid amount.
  
  
• Personal care: Learn how to do catheter care if you need a catheter to drain your urine. Ask your caregiver for more information about catheter care. Some patients may have problems with urine leakage after prostate cancer treatment.
  
  
• Sex: Some patients may have problems with sex after getting cancer. These problems usually do not last forever and most can be helped. Talk to your caregivers if you are worried. He can help you find ways to handle these problems.

For more information and support:

Accepting that you have cancer is hard. You and those close to you may feel scared, depressed, angry, or sad. These are normal feelings. Talk to your caregivers, family, or friends about your feelings. You may also want to join a cancer support group. This is a group of people who also have prostate cancer. Contact the following for more information:

• American Cancer Society
  250 Williams Street
  Atlanta , GA 30303
  Phone: 1- 800 - 227-2345
  Web Address: http://www.cancer.org
  

• National Cancer Institute
  6116 Executive Boulevard, Room 3036A
  Bethesda , MD 20892-8322
  Phone: 1- 800 - 422-6237
  Web Address: http://www.cancer.gov
  

CONTACT A CAREGIVER IF:

• You have a fever.
  
  
• You are vomiting (throwing up) and cannot keep any food or liquids down.
  
  
• You cannot make it to your radiation therapy visit.
  
  
• You are so sad you feel you cannot cope with your illness.
  
  
• You have blood in your urine or have trouble urinating.
  
  
• You have a blocked catheter or a problem with your catheter.
  
  
• You have pain that does not decrease or go away after taking your medicine.
  
  
• You have questions or concerns about your cancer or care.

SEEK CARE IMMEDIATELY IF:

• You have chest pain or trouble breathing that is getting worse over time.
  
  
• You suddenly feel lightheaded and have trouble breathing.
  
  
• You have new and sudden chest pain. You may have more pain when you take deep breaths or cough. You may cough up blood.
  
  
• Your leg feels warm, tender, and painful. It may look swollen and red.

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The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

Learn more about Prostate Cancer (Discharge Care)