Learning About Eric Braeden's UroLift
- Soap star Eric Braeden, 82, recently shared that he was undergoing immunotherapy treatments for cancer that was diagnosed after he became unable to pee due to an enlarged prostate.
- Braeden did not say specifically what kind of cancer he was diagnosed with, but he did say doctors found cancer after looking at his bladder.
- Having an enlarged prostate happens to almost all men as they get older. It is not cancer nor does it raise a person’s risk for developing prostate cancer,.
- According to Mount Sinai, transurethral resection of the prostate, or TURP, “is the most common and most proven surgical treatment” for an enlarged prostate.
- Braeden had a UroLift for his prostate, which works by using tiny implants to lift and hold the enlarged prostate tissue in a way that prevents it from blocking the urethra, the tube that lets urine flow from the bladder.
- According to one of our experts, “it has the most rapid recovery and least amount of side effects” because it “has no heating of the tissue or removal of tissue.”
- It should be noted that Mount Sinai says none of the less-invasive alternatives to TURP have been proven to be better than that surgery.
The 82-year-old actor best known for his portrayal of Victor Newman on the CBS soap opera “The Young and the Restless” recently took to Facebook to share a heavy update with fans: He was currently undergoing cancer treatment.
Read MoreHe went on to say he had been struggling with frequent urination because of an enlarged prostate.
“It got to the point where I had to get up almost every half hour and that was when I was recuperating from my knee surgery not a good thing,” he said.
Braeden went to a doctor to address the issue, but little came of the appointment. He kept calling to follow up about a possible treatment, but no one answered.
Eventually, his urination issue got so bad that he wasn’t able to pee at all.
“And that, my friends, I can tell you is one of the most painful experiences I’ve had,” he said.
Out of desperation, he marched back to the doctor to demand a solution for his painful situation. That’s when Braeden received the temporary fix of a catheter, which is a tube placed in the body to drain urine, according to MedlinePlus.
After a few days, the catheter was removed and the doctor said his bladder looked “all clear” during the follow-up appointment.
“This was six weeks or two months before something more serious happened,” he said.
Eventually, Braeden’s symptoms were back where they started. So, he needed to find a more long-term solution.
He went to a different doctor who happened to be one of the pioneers of the UroLift a fairly new procedure used to treat an enlarged prostate. The procedure was first approved by the FDA about nine years ago.
Before he could undergo the procedure, however, Braeden’s new doctor took another look at his bladder, which led to the discovery of cancer.
“‘When I do the UroLift, we’ll take out the cancer,'” Braeden recalled his doctor saying. “Needless to say, I was taken aback, but I was determined to deal with it.”
Immunotherapy is Considered a "Powerful Tool" to Treat Bladder Cancer
Braeden has since started immunotherapy treatments because some “high-grade cancer cells” were found after the procedure. He’s now doing well, but trying his best to relax as he continues treatment.
“I just had my second infusion last Monday, and the first day a little weak but I’m OK,” he said. “So, that’s where I am right now. I’m a little under the weather but not really much.
“I work out, but reduced… I hit the heavy bag, but not for as long as I usually do. I do some weights, but less weights. I do stationary bike but less so. And that’s a difficult thing to learn as an athlete… difficult to learn to slow down.”
Looking back on the whole experience, Braeden says he’s “learned now to listen to [his] body more and not go all out.”
“So, if you’ve seen me a little under the weather, yeah, I have been, but I will lick this, okay,” he said. “This bastard ain’t going to get me, I’m going to get it. All right, and I’ll be in top form again soon.”
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Know the Symptoms of Eric Braeden’s Type of Cancer
Eric Braeden did not specifically say what type of cancer he had been diagnosed with. However, the fact that his doctor discovered cancer after looking at his bladder is a good reminder to understand bladder cancer.
Bladder cancer is considered the fourth-most common cancer in men. It can develop in women too, but it is less common.
"Bladder cancer is one of those cancers that you don't hear about too often, which has always been surprising to me because it is the fifth most common cancer that we see in the American population," Dr. Jay Shah, the cancer care program leader for urologic oncology at the Stanford Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
(It's worth noting that the National Cancer Institute puts it as the sixth most common type of cancer in the U.S.)
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Bladder Cancer?
Bladder cancer is highly treatable when caught early, so it’s good that the first main symptoms of the disease of hematuria, or blood in the urine, can be hard to overlook.
“The typical patient that finds out that they have bladder cancer does so because they see blood when they go to pee,” Dr. Arjun Balar, the director of the genitourinary medical oncology program at NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center, said. “That’s almost always the first sign.
“For anyone that sees blood in urine over the age of 40, they should be seen by a urologist to be worked up for bladder cancer.”
Open Surgery vs. Robotic Assisted Surgery for Bladder Cancer
That being said, certain instances of hematuria might not be as noticeable since small amounts of blood in the urine might not even change the urine's color too much. In addition, hematuria might be ignored because it is usually painless and it can be brief and irregular. So, always talk to your doctor if you notice blood in your urine.
"Early acknowledgement of symptoms, and not ignoring symptoms is probably one of the other most important things that you can do," Dr. Balar said.
Dr. Balar says some bladder cancers might be missed because symptoms are mistaken for those of a urinary tract infection. In addition to blood in the urine, bladder cancer symptoms may include other urinary changes like:
- Needing to urinate more frequently than you normally would.
- Feeling an urgent need to urinate even when your bladder isn't full.
- Waking up to urinate many times during the night.
- Having issues urinating because of pain or a burning sensation.
Bladder cancer may also present with the following symptoms if it has progressed to an advanced stage:
- The inability to urinate
- Pain exclusive to one side of the lower back and pelvis
- Appetite loss
- Unintended weight loss
- Fatigue or weakness
- Bone pain
- Swollen feet
Overall, Dr. Balar shares some very straightforward advice for people concerned with bladder cancer prevention and early detection: "Hydrate well, don't smoke, and make sure that you get in to see your physician if you have symptoms that concern you."
What Is An Enlarged Prostate and UroLift?
Eric Braeden’s enlarged prostate and the resulting inability to pee led to doctors discovering his cancer.
The prostate is a walnut-shaped gland located between the rectum and bladder and produces the fluid that nourishes sperm. Having an enlarged prostate means exactly what you’d think the prostate gland has grown larger.
According to Mount Sinai, it “happens to almost all men as they get older.”
An enlarged prostate, which can also be referred to as benign (noncancerous) prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), is not a cancer nor does it raise a person’s risk for developing prostate cancer.
That being said, symptoms of BPH can be similar to that of prostate cancer. So, some people may choose to treat the condition if their symptoms are affecting their quality of life.
In Braeden’s case, his prostate had become so large that it was pressing on the urethra, the tube that lets urine leave the bladder, and completely blocking urine from flowing.
If patients choose to undergo treatment, they have a few options including lifestyle changes, medicine, surgeries and less-invasive procedures like UroLift.
According to Mount Sinai, transurethral resection of the prostate, or TURP, “is the most common and most proven surgical treatment for BPH.” It is performed by the insertion of a scope through the penis to remove the prostate in pieces.
However, the UroLift, which is the procedure Eric Braeden had, works differently. It utilizes tiny implants to lift and hold the enlarged prostate tissue in a way that prevents it from blocking the urethra.
In an interview with Dr. Jeffrey Schiff, director of Minimally Invasive Urology at NYU Langone Hospital in Long Island, New York, he explained why this procedure differs from other treatment options for an enlarged prostate.
“It’s the only one that has no heating of the tissue or removal of tissue, so therefore it has the most rapid recovery and least amount of side effects,” he told SurvivorNet.
In addition, Dr. Schiff said “there’s really no long-term side effects” or any sexual side effects from the procedure. The main side effects patients will have to deal with include frequent urination, urination urgency and blood in the urine, but those “typically resolve in three weeks.”
Most men with enlarged prostates are candidates for UroLift, but the biggest exclusion criteria is size. According to Dr. Schiff, the UroLift can be performed on prostates that are up to 100 grams in size.
He also said the UroLift has “durability comparable to other procedures.” But it should be noted that Mount Sinai says none of the less-invasive alternatives to TURP have been proven to be better than that surgery.
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