Overcoming A Side Effect Of Prostate Cancer Surgery (NAPSA)—According to the American Cancer Society, prostate canceris one of the most treatable forms of cancer, with an extremely high survival rate—especially whenit’s caught early. That’s the good news. The bad newsis that treatment for prostate cancer often leaves patients with an annoying side effect: urinary incontinence. This condition affects five million American men. Why Does This Happen? In order to remove the cancer, parts orall of the tissues that help urine flow may need to be re- moved. The rate of incontinence after radical prostatectomy ranges from 1 percent to 31 percent, influenced by such factors as age, general health and the amount of prostate and surrounding tissue removed during surgery. While men often experience incontinence immediately follow- ing surgery, the leakage usually stops within weeks or a few months. When incontinence persists beyond a few months, you should consult a urologist. Treatment Options While moderate to severe cases of male incontinence have been treated surgically for years, the majority of incontinent men— those only mildly incontinent— have, until recently, had few attractive medical options. Fortu- nately, doctors are now able to offer a viable spectrum of inconti- nence solutions. For example, the AdVance Male Sling is a safe and effective surgical solution for stress urinary incontinence in men, whichis often 2 Men now have a number oftreatment options for the problem of urinary incontinence. experienced as an unavoidable result of prostate cancer surgery. Implanting the device—developed by American Medical Systems—is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure that can be performed in just 20 to 30 minutes. “AdVance represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of male incontinence,” explain Drs. Christian Gozzi and Peter Rehder, both urologists at the University of Innsbruck, “giving physicians the opportunity to provide real incontinence solutions to even more prostate cancer survivors.” To those suffering from urinary incontinence (and their partners), it can feel like you’re missing out on the best that life has to offer. The key thing to rememberis that nearly every case of incontinence is treatable; there are solutions that can help improve your quality of life dramatically. To find a prosthetic urologist, visit www.malecontinence.com or call the AMS Patient Liaison at (800) 529-5744. Note to Editors: September is Prostate Health month. Bladder Control Week is in November.
