Home
Newsletter
Events
Blogs
Reports
Graphics
RSS
About Us
Support
Write for Us
Media Info
Advertising Info
Medical myths

Men make prostate cancer treatment decisions based on fear and false beliefs

Wednesday, July 12, 2006 by: NewsTarget
Tags: medical myths, health news, Natural News


Most Viewed Articles
https://www.naturalnews.com/019627_cancer_treatment_Prostate.html
Delicious
diaspora
Print
Email
Share

(NewsTarget) New research in the August 1 issue of Cancer reveals that men diagnosed with prostate cancer tend to rush into their decision on treatment, as well as make those decisions based on inaccurate beliefs about the disease.

Conventional medicine generally offers four treatment options for prostate cancer patients: removal of the prostate gland; "seeding" the cancer with radioactive material; externally radiation; or cryptotherapy, which freezes the tumor.

Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with 20 newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients after treatment options had been explained by a urologist. They discovered that 19 of the 20 patients chose a course of treatment based partly on the experiences of a friend or relative who'd had the disease.

The study's lead author, Dr. Thomas D. Denberg, stressed that prostate cancer patients should avoid comparing their own cancer experience the experiences of others. "Because Uncle Fred did well with a certain procedure doesn't mean that you will," Denberg said.

Though all the patients in the study said they understood that the cancer progressed slowly, 12 patients wanted treatment as soon as possible, eight of which believed that surgery was the best option. Patients also made treatment decisions based on the misconceptions that a cure was guaranteed if the tumor was confined to the prostate, and that the chance of being cured was still high even if the tumor spread beyond the prostate.

Researchers also found that the men who had decided on surgery rejected the other options, and the men who opted for radiation therapy preferred seeding over external radiation, citing efficacy and possible negative side effects. The study's authors say that men should not rush into a treatment decision, and should educate themselves on the disease to avoid common misperceptions.

Proponents of alternative cancer treatments say that men should also look into safe, natural treatments for prostate cancer, including vitamin D from sunlight, green tea and the minerals selenium and zinc. Pomegranate juice has recently been discovered to markedly slow the growth of prostate cancer tumors.

###


Receive Our Free Email Newsletter

Get independent news alerts on natural cures, food lab tests, cannabis medicine, science, robotics, drones, privacy and more.


comments powered by Disqus



Natural News Wire (Sponsored Content)

Science.News
Science News & Studies
Medicine.News
Medicine News and Information
Food.News
Food News & Studies
Health.News
Health News & Studies
Herbs.News
Herbs News & Information
Pollution.News
Pollution News & Studies
Cancer.News
Cancer News & Studies
Climate.News
Climate News & Studies
Survival.News
Survival News & Information
Gear.News
Gear News & Information
Glitch.News
News covering technology, stocks, hackers, and more