Al Roker's Prostate Cancer
- NBC TODAY weatherman Al Roker, 66, revealed he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and will have surgery next week.
- Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and there a number of treatment options to choose from.
- Side-effects from prostate cancer surgery can include sexual dysfunction, but an expert tells SurvivorNet that this side-effect usually gets better over time.
During a segment on TODAY, Roker shared that he decided to go public with his diagnosis in order to spread awareness about the disease, and the impact it has on the Black community. Roker says that 1 of 7 Black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Read MoreOur friend and colleague @AlRoker reveals that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. pic.twitter.com/hnAUX4xfX3
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 6, 2020
Despite the diagnosis, Roker is also looking at the bright side. In his case, the disease was thankfully caught early and he plans to have surgery next week to remove his prostate at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Related: Second (& Third) Opinions Matter When Deciding Between Surgery or Radiation
“It’s a good news-bad news kind of thing,” Roker says. “Good news is we caught it early. Not great news is that it’s a little aggressive, so I’m going to be taking some time off to take care of this.”
Navigating Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and begins in the prostate gland, which is located between the rectum and bladder. There are certain risk-factors associated with the disease, including age, race, family history, and genetics. Thanks to years of research, there are a number of treatment options men can consider when facing this disease. Oftentimes, it’s up to the patient to decide which treatment option they’d like to pursue especially if the disease is caught early. Other than surgery, treatment options can include radiation, hormonal therapy, and chemotherapy. However, it’s important to remember that the best treatment plan depends largely on the stage of the disease.
“For the vast majority of [patients], there is no rush to make a decision. This is not like pancreatic cancer or lung cancer. There is time to make a decision.” – Dr. Patrick Swift
For prostate cancer, it turns out that in many cases, patients may see the same results whether they choose to have radiation or surgery. That’s why a treatment plan needs to be a very personal decision, and your doctor will lay out side-effects linked to radiation just like any other therapy.
“The first thing I tell patients is that for the vast majority of them, there is no rush to make a decision,” Dr. Patrick Swift, a radiation oncologist at Stanford, tells SurvivorNet. “This is not like pancreatic cancer or lung cancer. There is time to make a decision. There’s enough time to drive yourself crazy, too, but there’s time to gather the information. You need to take your time to look through the different people that are delivering it and what their experiences with delivering it. But the treatment really needs to be tailored to the individual statistics of that person’s disease right that time.”
Dr. Patrick Swift explains why prostate cancer patients need to research their treatment options
Prostate Cancer Surgery & Side-Effects
Roker’s decision to undergo surgery and remove his prostate was likely a hard decision to make. The goal of the procedure is to completely remove any evidence of cancer, and the surgery can take up to five hours along with a stay in the hospital. According to Dr. Stephen Freedland, Director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle at Cedars-Sinai, the at-home recovery process can take up to 10 days.
Related: Sex Is Possible After Prostate Cancerand 5 Other Facts You Should Know
Like any procedure, prostate cancer surgery comes with its own list of side-effects. One of the largest ones is sexual function since the prostate is in a delicate area under the bladder and alongside nerves. These nerves control erections, and so the procedure must be done very precisely in order ensure there are no long-term sexual side-effects. While most men will have temporary leakage or erectile dysfunction, in time the vast majority will regain almost normal function in both areas.
“[One of the] challenges with surgery is you have two nerves that give you an erection,” Dr. Freedland tells SurvivorNet. “Those nerves run right along the side of the prostate. So as we remove the prostate, our goal is not to damage those nerves, but they get pulled. They get tugged. They don’t work right, perfectly, right after surgery, but again, with time, that does tend to get better.”
Related: How to Choose a Surgeon Does Volume Matter?
If you’re extremely concerned about sexual function after prostate cancer surgery, it’s worth asking about nerve-sparing surgery. If no nerves are preserved after prostate cancer surgery, some men may lose the ability to have an erection entirely. In order to make sure this isn’t a possibility, make sure to express any kinds of fears you may have to your physician or surgeon.
Dr. Stephen Freedland breaks down how long prostate cancer surgery side-effects can last
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