Coping With a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Possible Treatment
- A Chicago artist was diagnosed with prostate cancer shortly after marrying the love of his life despite presenting no symptoms. Routine prostate cancer screening helped his doctor discover the cancer. He turned to art to help cope during cancer treatment.
- Prostate cancer screening may often involve a digital rectal exam and prostate-specific antigen test. This test measures the level of PSA in the blood, and higher levels can indicate cancer. Most cancer diagnoses are caught with screening.
- Robotic surgery is performed by a surgeon who manipulates robotic arms with the assistance of a computer. Some surgeons say this technique allows them to make more exact and smaller cuts, which is helpful when working close to fine nerves in the prostate area.
- 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.
- Active surveillance involves regular testing every six months to monitor the prostate and check for any progression of the disease.
- Turning to art—such as music, painting, or dancing—may be therapeutic for cancer patients and aid their recovery. Research involving cancer patients who used art to cope showed they may experience decreased depression, anxiety, drowsiness, and tiredness.
“I thought prostate cancer was something older men mainly dealt with,” Terrance Jones told the New York Post.
An elevated PSA test does not always mean you have prostate cancer, but the risk of getting it is greater. It could also reflect that your prostate is enlarged, which is common, or it could signal an infection or inflammation.
The PSA test results provide a Gleason Score, which ranges from 6 to 10. The higher the score, the more aggressive the cancer. This score, along with other test results, helps doctors determine whether cancer is “low risk,” “intermediate risk,” or “high risk.”
WATCH: How Gleason Grade Determines Treatment
“I was told at the time it was Grade 6, but later I found out that it was Grade 7…I was afraid, but I am a very prayerful person, and I believe that God is always at work,” Jones explained.
After his diagnosis, Jones and his doctor decided on treatment options, which included active surveillance and surgery.
Active surveillance (also called active monitoring) is the best choice for patients who are diagnosed with low-risk, localized prostate cancer. It involves regular testing every six months to monitor the prostate and check for any progression of the disease.
Dr. James Wysock, a urologist specializing in urological cancers at the Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health, explained to SurvivorNet that if prostate cancer is detected at a “very early stage and a low volume, we have many different options for managing it and higher expectations of that prostate cancer will be completely controlled. And so as we continue improving our diagnostic tests and paradigms, that’s the ultimate goal.”
Jones underwent a robot-assisted prostatectomy. Robotic surgery is performed by the surgeon who manipulates robotic arms with the assistance of a computer.
This procedure is an option for men with any risk group of prostate cancer that hasn’t spread outside of the prostate gland. 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. Side effects may follow this procedure, which may include erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.
WATCH: Robotic surgery to treat prostate cancer.
“They seemed very excited to tell me they got all the cancer…I was walking the same day,” Jones said.
The several-week span from marriage to a cancer diagnosis and then treatment took an emotional toll on the Chicago artist. So, he managed the stressful situation the best way he knew how – his art.
“It always brings me to a really calm space where I can quiet my thoughts about things that are going on in the world,” he said.
Turning to art—such as music, painting, or dancing—may prove therapeutic for cancer patients, aiding their recovery. Research involving cancer patients who used art to cope showed they may experience decreased depression, anxiety, drowsiness, and tiredness.
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Turning to Artistic Expression Amid Cancer
Many cancer patients wrestling with their emotions or adjusting to cancer treatment undergo immense stress. During times like these, resorting to therapy such as music, dancing, painting, and other forms of art can be extremely helpful.
In 2020, researchers studied the outcomes of therapeutic art making in patients undergoing radiation oncology treatment. Although the research was limited in scope, it found patients reported “decreased depression, anxiety, drowsiness, and tiredness” after mindfulness-based art therapy intervention.
Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Health, told SurvivorNet that emotional health and good quality of life are associated with better survival and better outcomes. Art therapy can influence a cancer patient’s overall emotional health.
We previously sat down to chat with two-time cancer survivor Bianca Muniz, who found solace in creating music while she was undergoing cancer treatment.
Her cancer journey began at just 11 years old when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Then, at 22 years old, she was diagnosed again this time with breast cancer. Muniz says that undergoing numerous different treatments did have an impact on her voice, but she never let that get in the way of her love of performing, and cancer actually served as a muse for creating new music.
WATCH: Two-time cancer survivor used music therapy to help her along her journey.
“This experience has had two different effects on my creativity and my music, so I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from it,’ Muniz said. “But also the side effects of treatment, of chemo –and surgery — have definitely had a little bit of a negative effect on my voice, but then again, I love performing. I always feel happy after I’ve performed.”
If You’re Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer, What to Expect for Treatment?
After testing and establishing your risk, your doctor will discuss possible treatment options. Treatment may include active surveillance up to more aggressive treatment options including surgery and radiation therapy.
WATCH: Coping emotionally after a prostate cancer diagnosis
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.
WATCH: Sexual Function Recovery After Prostate Cancer 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.
“Erectile function is so sensitive when we’re dealing with prostate cancer because 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.
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.
Radiation therapy is often done when prostate cancer is caught early and confined to the prostate gland.
When to Screen for Prostate Cancer
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 screening.
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.
WATCH: Screen Early If Prostate Cancer Runs In Your Family
The American Cancer Society recommends that men at age 50 who are at average risk should begin screening. Men who are at high risk of prostate cancer should begin screening at age 40. Men with a close relative diagnosed with prostate cancer should consider annual screenings in their 30s.
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 pee
- 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
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 learning if my PSA levels warrant further testing take?
- 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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