Friday, March 21, 2008

Research News: Side effects of prostate-cancer treatments get scrutiny

The News:
Side effects of prostate-cancer treatments get scrutiny
By Mike Stobbe The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 03/19/2008 11:58:12 PM MDT
ATLANTA — One of the first large quality-of-life studies on today's prostate-cancer treatments suggests that for some men, it's a matter of picking your poison and facing potential sexual, urinary or other problems. Of the choices studied — surgery, standard radiation, hormone therapy or radioactive seeds — the seeds seemed to carry a lower risk of several of these side effects. Hormone therapy — when combined with radiation — had a big effect on men's vitality and sexuality. The radioactive pellets sometimes led to sexual problems too, but more often involved discomfort in urinating.

The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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