3 Key Takeaways:
- Advanced prostate cancer is a formidable adversary, but the aim is to make life as comfortable and pain-free as possible for the patient.
- Medical innovation has changed the trajectory of many prostate cancer patients’ lives, with the use of oral pills, immunotherapies and other treatments.
- Advanced Urology Institute is a leader in providing advanced care and creating individualized treatment plans for prostate cancer patients, helping them live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.
Medicine is one of the few areas where change is constant and inevitable. With medical breakthroughs and technology becoming more advanced every day, treatments and patient care are continually improving. One such area that has seen significant advancements, particularly in the last six years, is the management and treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
Living with Advanced Prostate Cancer
As Chelsie Ferrell, a Physician Assistant with Advanced Urology Institute, explains, “Advanced prostate cancer is basically anybody who has prostate cancer that is basically beyond curative therapy. So it’s already metastasized, it may be treatable to where we can help to improve their quality of life.”
Advanced prostate cancer is indeed formidable. It is an adversary that, at this point, has moved beyond the bounds of being completely defeated. However, the battle is not entirely lost. The objective, in such cases, shifts from cure to quality of life. It turns into a chronic disease, one that needs continuous care and management. The aim is to make life as comfortable and pain-free as possible for the patient.
Evolution of Prostate Cancer Treatment
In looking back at the journey and advances of prostate cancer treatment, it is astonishing how far medical science has come. Ferrell remarks, “From when I first started six years ago until now, the landscape has changed completely.”
Initially, the primary treatment was a bilateral orchiectomy, which is castration of the testicles. It seems excessively invasive when compared to the therapies available today. Now, patients have access to hormone shots and oral medications.
Onwards to Brighter, Healthier Days
In the most recent years, the treatment options available to prostate cancer patients have grown exponentially. Ferrell stresses, “In the last six years, these oral pills that are available, immunotherapies that are available, things that we have available for bone health, I mean, just the options are endless.”
It is a testament to how medical innovation has altered the trajectory of many prostate cancer patients’ lives. The use of these latest treatment methods, such as oral pills and immunotherapies, have not only improved life expectancy but have also enhanced their quality of life significantly.
Advanced Urology Institute sits at the forefront of these medical advancements. With a team of well-versed urologists, they offer state-of-the-art treatments and compassionate care.
Advanced Urology Institute: Pioneering Prostate Cancer Treatment
Advanced Urology Institute boasts the largest urology practice in Florida, with centers established in several areas, including Orange City, FL. Their mission is to help patients navigate their prostate cancer diagnosis and manage it as a chronic disease, always prioritizing the patient’s quality of life above all else.
Chelsie Ferrell and her peers at Advanced Urology Institute use all the tools at their disposal to create individualized treatment plans and provide the most advanced care possible. It is a testament to the dedication and expertise of medical professionals, like Ferrell, that men diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer continue to live longer, healthier and fulfilling lives.
As medical advancements continue to break barriers and shatter expectations, there is hope that we will continue to see more progress in the fight against advanced prostate cancer. With expert urologists like those at Advanced Urology Institute leading the charge, the prognosis for patients only gets brighter every day.
References:
- “Prostate Cancer – Advanced – Symptoms – Urology Care Foundation.” https://www.urologyhealth.org/urology-a-z/a_/advanced-prostate-cancer.
- “What is metastatic prostate cancer? – Cancer Research UK.” https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/prostate-cancer/metastatic-cancer/what-is-metastatic-prostate-cancer.
- “Bilateral Orchiectomy – EAU Patient Information.” https://patients.uroweb.org/treatments/bilateral-orchiectomy/.
Transcription:
My name is Chelsie Ferrell and I’m a physician assistant with Advanced Urology Institute. Advanced prostate cancer is basically anybody who has prostate cancer that is basically beyond curative therapy. So it’s already metastasized, it may be treatable to where we can help to improve their quality of life.
They may not be able to prolong their life, but eventually they will, you know, succumb to their disease. So our goal is to really make it more of a chronic disease than it is to cure it. But it’s amazing the strides that we’re able to make with the medications that are available now.
From when I first started six years ago until now, the landscape has changed completely from, you know, originally we only had these oral medications. So originally it was a bilateral orchiectomy, which is just castration of the testicles, and that was the treatment that we did for it years and years ago.
Now to hormone shots and in the last six years, these oral pills that are available, immunotherapies that are available, things that we have available for bone health, I mean, just the options are endless and it’s amazing how much longer we’re seeing these men live.
