Power of Support While Battling Prostate Cancer
- Actor Stephen Fry, 66, credits his husband and comedian Elliott Spencer, 37, for offering him tons of support while he battled prostate cancer. His diagnosis came following a routine screening, which discovered very high prostate-specific antigen levels, which can indicate possible cancer.
- Fry had his prostate removed for treatment. During this procedure, the surgeon removes the entire prostate, along with some tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles that release fluid into the semen. Side effects may include erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.
- The nerve-sparing surgery option can reduce the risk of side effects like sexual dysfunction, though it may not be suitable for everyone.
- Surgery is not needed for all men diagnosed with prostate cancer. In some cases, active surveillance is a preferred treatment option for older men or those with a low risk of the disease spreading.
- Patients are encouraged to seek a support group, talk to a mental health professional, and keep their support team connected with your care team.
‘80s “Saturday Night Live” star Stephen Fry, 66, is a prostate cancer survivor, and he says he couldn’t have gotten through the anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis without the love from his supportive family and husband.
“My family and my divine, darling husband were just marvelous,” Fry told People Magazine.
A cancer diagnosis brings with it a wide range of emotions, from fear and anxiety to determination for patients determined to beat it. Along the way, having a strong support system, which can be made up of family, friends, and your care team, helps make the journey a little easier to bear.
Expert Resources on Prostate Cancer Treatment
- Metastatic Prostate Cancer Treatment is Improving
- Deep Concern For The Nearly Half A Million Veterans Who Have Prostate Cancer: Are They Getting The Proper Treatment?
- Genetic Testing for Advanced Prostate Cancer Can Help Tailor Treatment
- How to Treat Late-Stage Prostate Cancer: New Treatment Developments
- New Drug for Advanced Prostate Cancer Gets Fast-Tracked by FDA; What You Need to Know About This Treatment
Fry’s Cancer Journey
Fry has become a vocal prostate cancer advocate ever since his own diagnosis in February 2018.
His diagnosis came about following a routine physical exam. During testing, doctors discovered Fry’s prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels were higher than normal.
The PSA is a blood test that screens for cancer and can also track a person’s response to cancer treatment. PSA is a protein secreted by the prostate gland; a large amount of PSA in a person’s body can indicate that cancer cells are growing.
Following Fry’s diagnosis, he called his cancerous tumor “an aggressive little bugger.”
Fry underwent treatment, which involved removing his prostate and 11 lymph nodes.
Notably, Fry’s Gleason Score, which measures the aggressiveness of prostate cancer, was a “9 out of 10.”
WATCH: How Gleason Grade Determines Treatment
This score ranges from 6 to 10. The higher the score, the more aggressive the cancer.
This score, along with your other test results, helps doctors determine if your cancer is “low risk,” “intermediate risk,” or “high risk.”
Building Support, Staying Connected
If you were recently diagnosed with cancer, you likely know about the wide range of emotions that news can bring. This is one of the most difficult phases of the cancer journey to overcome.
However, a team of supporters can be most helpful during these early stages. Your supporters can be close family members, friends, or people outside your inner circle.
WATCH: Seeking support after a diagnosis.
“Some people don’t need to go outside of their family and friends circle. ” New York-based psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik tells SurvivorNet that they feel like they have enough support there.
“But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it is important to reach out to a mental health professional,” she added.
How is Prostate Cancer Diagnosed?
When you do get screened for prostate cancer, your doctor will run a few tests.
One of the tests is the PSA test, a simple blood test that screens for prostate cancer. It looks for larger amounts of protein-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. An elevated PSA test does not always mean you have prostate cancer. It could also reflect that your prostate is enlarged, which is common, or it could signal an infection or inflammation.
Your doctor may also conduct a digital rectal exam (DRE) to check your prostate for lumps.
Depending on the results of these tests, imaging scans and a biopsy may be ordered.
When to Screen for Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It starts in the walnut-shaped prostate gland between the rectum and bladder, producing the fluid that nourishes sperm. Fortunately, most prostate cancer is caught with screening examinations.
Prostate cancer does not always behave the same in every man it impacts. The cancer can be considered “low-risk” and can be slow-growing, and treatment might not be necessary. In other men, the cancer may grow faster or more aggressively, requiring more immediate treatment. Because of this, there is some debate about how much screening is necessary.
The United States Preventive Services Taskforce recommends men at average risk between the ages of 55-69 years old should talk with their doctor about the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening. Most doctors agree that men over the age of 70 do not need screening.
SurvivorNet experts suggested that men consider factors like their family history, genes, and age when deciding whether and when to screen.
Symptoms of prostate cancer may include:
- Urinating more often
- Waking up in the middle of the night to urinate
- Blood in your urine
- Trouble getting an erection
- Pain or burning when you urinate
- Pain in your back, hips, thighs, or other bones
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue
- Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer
After testing and establishing your risk, your doctor will discuss possible treatment options. Treatment may include “active surveillance,” usually for men with low-risk prostate cancer, which again involves regular testing every six months to monitor the prostate and check for any progression of the disease.
More aggressive treatment options include surgery and radiation therapy.
Surgery is an option for men with any risk group of prostate cancer that hasn’t spread outside of the prostate gland. The type of surgery most often used is called a radical prostatectomy.
During the procedure, the surgeon removes the entire prostate, along with some tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles that release fluid into the semen. Your doctor can perform this through a traditional open procedure with one large or several small incisions called laparoscopic surgery.
Surgery side effects may include erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Fortunately, the side effects are usually temporary, and there are ways to help you manage them.
Radiation therapy is often done when prostate cancer is caught early and confined to the prostate gland.
The Side Effects of Prostate Cancer Surgery
Prostate cancer warriors should ask their doctor questions about the side effects of surgery.
Some of the known side effects of prostate cancer surgery include erectile dysfunction (difficulty getting or keeping an erection) and urinary incontinence (leaking urine by accident).
Treatments for prostate cancer, especially surgery, can damage nerves and blood vessels essential for erectile function, leading to ED. The risk for these side effects depends on the type of surgical approach and factors specific to your cancer.
WATCH: Sexual Function Recovery After Prostate Cancer Surgery
“Erectile function is so sensitive when we’re dealing with prostate cancer because of the fact that the nerves that are critical for this function wrap around the prostate; they’re just so intimately connected to the prostate that they can be damaged from a surgical removal of the prostate or through radiation treatment,” Dr. Isla Garraway, a staff urologist in the Veterans Administration (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, told SurvivorNet.
Dr. Stephen Freedland, a urologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, explained to SurvivorNet that most people regain normal function in these areas over time.
Opting for nerve-sparing surgery can reduce this risk, though it may not suit everyone. Nerve-sparing surgery involves removing cancer without harming the nerves, but if the cancer is near the nerves, it may not be possible.
Within a year of nerve-sparing prostatectomy, 40% to 50% of men are back to their pre-cancer sexual function.
For men experiencing erectile dysfunction, there are many other solutions as well.
Oral medications — usually a pill — work for mild to moderate ED by enhancing blood flow to the penis to bring on an erection.
There are medications currently on the market that can aid in sustaining erections, such as Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. There are also treatments such as penile injections and vacuum erection devices (VED), as well as the option of a penile prosthesis. Vacuum erection devices use vacuum pressure to draw blood into the penis, inducing an erection.
Dr. Freedland says there are two main prosthetic options: an inflatable prosthesis placed in the scrotum or a bendable plastic prosthesis.
According to Dr. Freedland, most men who choose this route report being pleased with the outcome.
Doctors often recommend sexual counseling after prostate cancer treatment to help improve sexual function. This approach actively addresses the psychological, emotional, and relationship impacts on sexual health.
In counseling, individuals and couples can discuss concerns, explore sexual aids and techniques, and find ways to maintain intimacy.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you have experienced symptoms associated with prostate cancer or have a screening coming up, here are some questions you may ask your doctor:
- If I have elevated PSA levels, what could be causing that besides cancer?
- How long will it take to learn if my PSA levels warrant further testing?
- What are the treatment options that are best suited for me based on my risk level?
- What financial resources exist to help me with the costs associated with treatment?
- How long will my potential treatment prevent me from working or continuing normal activities?
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