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More about the MCC
homeTable of ContentsMedical Words
Understanding Your Prostate
What Your Test Results Mean
Treatment Choices
Intro
Watchful Wating
Surgery
Radiation
Comparing Treatment Choices
Comparing Side Effects
Newer Treatments
Things to Ask Your Doctor
After Your Treatment
Education and Support Groups
A Choice and A Journey
 
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Treatment Choices : Surgery

How this treatment may
cause problems

1. The surgeon may not get all of the cancer out.

2. You can have complications from the surgery.

  • Bleeding: You can have bleeding that may require a blood transfusion.
  • Blood clots: You can have blood clots in the legs or lungs.
  • Infection: You can have an infection at the incision where surgery was performed.
  • Problems holding urine: You may not be able to hold your urine. You may leak if you cough, sneeze, or strain yourself (like when you lift something), or change position all of a sudden.
    - Leaking may last from a few weeks to several months or longer. In this case, the leaking stops without the need for special treatment.
    - In about 9 men in 100, it doesn’t get better. In this case you can use a clamp or have special surgery. This will usually control the leakage. For 91 men out of 100, this is not necessary because the problems with leakage get better.
    - Problems holding urine are less for younger men.
  • Problems passing urine: You can have scars inside the tube (the urethra) that carries urine out of the penis.
    - About 15 men out of 100 may have this problem.
    - This can make it hard to pass urine.
    - You can have a procedure to unblock the tube.
  • Problems having or keeping an erection (impotence): You can have trouble having or keeping an erection. This may affect your feelings about sex and about yourself. But it is possible to have sexual pleasure even without an erection or an ejaculation (dry orgasm).
    - About 60 men out of 100 have permanent impotence following surgery. About 40 out of 100 men will have their original levels of sexual ability.

    The risk of being impotent depends on a few things:
    - How good your erections were before surgery.
    - The surgical technique.
    - Your age.
    Your doctor can help you treat the impotence with:
    - Medicine that helps with erections.
    - Vacuum device.
    - Injections into your penis.
    - Surgical implant.
  • Lastly, there is a risk of death with any surgery: It can happen to about 2 men out of 1,000. This means that 998 men out of 1,000 live through surgery.

After surgery, most men will feel relieved, but some may also feel sadness. If your sad feelings are just too strong, ask your doctor to suggest help.

To see pictures of how surgery works,
please see page 4.


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“As I thought about having active treatment, I realized there was good news and bad news. The good news was that the cancer might be completely gone. The bad news was that I might suffer serious side effects.”