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Skin cancer is the second most common cancer in Britain today. Latest statistics state that an estimated 100,000 new cases of skin cancer are reported each year. Fortunately, most are completely curable forms of skin cancer and few turn out to be a serious disease. Our fact sheet below details what steps you can take to minimize the risk of skin cancer and examines the warning signs to look out for.

Skin Cancer Fact Sheet

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• There are three types of skin cancer: the two most common are Basal Cell and Squamous Cell Carcinomas. They are easily treated and rarely fatal. The third and most dangerous is the malignant melanoma.
• Skin cancer is the second most common cancer in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 100,000 new cases each year, of which approximately 7,200 are malignant melanomas. About 1,700 people die from melanomas in Britain every year.
• Melanomas can spread two ways: horizontally, which gives rise to the superficial spreading melanoma, or they can grow downwards and the cells will invade the lymph glands, which is much more dangerous.
• There’s strong evidence that melanomas occur on sun-damaged skin and that people are particularly at risk when they have sudden, short bursts of sunlight on holidays in places where the sun is very strong.
• People most at risk from melanoma include those (1) with a high number of moles, (2) with red or fair hair, blue eyes, fair skin and freckles, (3) who tan with difficulty and burn in the sun, and (4) with a history of the disease in two or more family members.
• This form of cancer occurs mainly in the 40-60 year age group, but it can strike at any age. However, children are rarely affected.
• A tan is not a sign of health, it is a sign that the skin has been damaged by ultraviolet radiation. When cells are damaged by the sun, melanin rushes to the surface to provide protection against the next onslaught. As you slowly build up a ‘protective’ tan, your skin is darkening in response to damage on top of damage.
• Although melanomas can affect most parts of the body, the most common place for women to get them is on the legs, whilst in men, it is on the trunk, particularly on the back.
• Over the past 60 years, damage to the planet’s ozone layer has increased the amount of harmful radiation that reaches your skin.
• UV radiation is made up of UVA and UVB rays. UVA ages the skin and UVB burns the skin. Both can cause skin cancer.
• UV radiation is not felt as heat on the skin, so even on a cool and cloudy day, it may be just as high and just as damaging as on a clear and sunny day.
• If detected early, skin cancer has a 99% cure rate.

What types of skin cancer are there?
There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas and malignant melanoma. The first two are slow-growing and easy to treat, but malignant melanoma is a dangerous, fast-growing cancer that spreads very quickly.

How common is skin cancer?
The official UK figures are 7,200 cases of melanoma a year and an estimated 100,000 cases of other skin cancers. The incidence of melanoma is increasing, probably because of increased exposure to sunlight but also due to better diagnosis. The figure of 100,000 other skin cancers is an underestimate because these cancers are slow-growing and often remain undiagnosed in elderly people. Roughly three out of every four non-melanoma skin cancers are basal cell carcinomas and the other quarter are squamous cell carcinomas.

What are the risk factors for skin cancer?
For all types of skin cancer, over-exposure to ultraviolet light, from sunlight or sunbeds, is the main risk. Research into malignant melanoma suggests that over-exposure in childhood puts people at risk of getting melanomas later in life. There are several other things that increase the risk of skin cancer: having very fair skin that burns easily, having lots of moles (over 50) on your body, having had skin cancer before, your close relatives having skin cancer and being treated with anti-rejection drugs (ie after an organ transplant). Exposure to radiation or long-term exposure to chemicals such as coal tar, soot, pitch, asphalt, creosote, paraffin wax or arsenic, can increase your risk of non-melanoma skin cancer.

What are the symptoms of melanomas – what do they look like?
The majority of melanomas occur on the head, neck, arms and back � ie the skin exposed most to sunlight. Most of them are very dark or black, but they can sometimes be lighter brown or even speckled. The surface is usually raised and sometimes rough. They are not normally circular in shape, but some can be quite close to a circle. In their early stages, they often look like a mole, but with a ragged outline or different shades of colour in it. Sometimes, they appear to be a mole that is bleeding, oozing or crusty. However, the most important thing is that melanomas usually change shape or colour as they grow. Any spot that changes colour or shape should be reported to your doctor.

What do basal cell carcinomas look like?
The vast majority of basal cell carcinomas occur on the face. They start as a small, pink, pearly or waxy spot, often circular or oval in shape. As they grow, they become a raised, flat spot with a �rolled� edge and they may develop a crust. Next, they begin to bleed from the centre and an ulcer develops. This is called a rodent ulcer and, if left long enough, it can become quite large and eat away the skin and tissue below.

What do squamous cell carcinomas look like?
Squamous cell carcinomas are most common on the limbs, head and neck. They are pink and irregular in shape, usually with a hard, scaly or horny surface, although they can sometimes become an ulcer. The edges are sometimes raised. They can be tender to the touch.

How dangerous are skin cancers?
Malignant melanoma can be one of the most dangerous types of cancer. They all spread into nearby tissues, but some grow faster and spread further than others. If diagnosed late, treatment is not usually able to cure the cancer.

Squamous cell carcinomas also spread, but most of them spread so slowly that they are not very dangerous. Even the ones that spread more rapidly can be effectively treated as long as they are diagnosed reasonably early.

Basal cell carcinomas almost never spread, apart from the slow growth of the rodent ulcer itself. Even in advanced cases, treatment is almost always successful.

Does skin cancer run in families?
There are some rare, inherited skin diseases that make people highly sensitive to sunlight and much more likely to get any type of skin cancer. People inherit their normal skin type and skin cancer is more common in paler, freckly skin. In addition, there is good evidence that, if you have a close relative (brother, sister parent or child) with skin cancer, you have about twice the normal risk of getting that type of skin cancer.

What causes skin cancer?
Ultraviolet light � from sunlight or sunbeds � is the main cause of skin cancer. It can damage the DNA that makes up the genes in skin cells. The wrong type of damage to the wrong genes will make a cell become cancerous. There are three types of UV light, called A, B and C. UVC is filtered out by the atmosphere and does not get to our skin. UVB was originally found to cause sunburn and skin cancer, but more recently, it has been discovered that UVA can also cause skin cancer.

Can sun beds cause skin cancer?
UVB is known to cause sunburn and skin cancer, so most sunbeds were originally designed to produce UVA only. However, more recent research has found that UVA can also cause skin cancers. As a result, many modern sunbeds produce far less UVA, although others still produce very high levels.

Does sun cream protect against skin cancer?
UVB is known to cause sunburn and skin cancer, so sun creams were originally designed to block out only the UVB. We now know that UVA can also cause skin cancer and, these days, some sun creams block out a lot of UVA as well as UVB. However, the main concern is that, because sun creams prevent burning, they make people think they can spend much longer in the sun, which will definitely increase their risk of getting skin cancer.

How is skin cancer treated?
For almost all non-melanoma skin cancers and for early melanomas, surgery to remove the cancer and a small amount of surrounding tissue is all that is necessary. If a melanoma has spread, chemotherapy can be used, but it is not usually effective. After a melanoma has spread, surgery and radiotherapy can be used on the secondary tumours. This will prolong life but it is not a cure.

How effective are skin cancer treatments?
Surgical treatment of non-melanoma skin cancer is usually completely effective. For melanomas, if the tumour can be removed surgically before it has spread, the treatment is usually very effective. By removing more tissue around the tumour (the margin), the surgeon is more likely to remove the beginning of any spread and increase the chance of a cure. Once a melanoma has spread around the body, treatment is usually aimed at prolonging life as the chance of a cure is very small.

Is early diagnosis important?
Early diagnosis is absolutely crucial for malignant melanoma (see above) as treatments for advanced melanoma are rarely effective. However, for other types of skin cancer, early diagnosis is sensible, but not a matter of life or death.

• Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer in young men, mostly between the ages of 20 and 35, although it can develop in boys as young as 15.
• Between the ages of 15 and 50, about 1 man in every 500 will develop this problem.
• The incidence of testicular cancer has risen by 70% in the last twenty years. Doctors are baffled as to why this is.
• It is still quite rare with about 2,000 cases a year in the UK. If current trends continue, however, this figure will rise.
• In Europe the highest incidences are observed in Denmark, Ireland and Norway, and the lowest in Finland and Spain. Worldwide, Japan, India, South America also have low incidences. The cause of testicular cancer and the reasons for its different rates of occurrence in different countries is unknown.
• The most significant risk factor is un-descended testis with 10% of patients having a history of this condition.
• Testicular cancer can have a strong genetic component. First degree relatives (brothers, fathers or sons) of testicular cancer patients have up to a 10-fold increased risk of developing this disease.
• The first cancer gene implicated in testicular cancer was located by an international collaboration of scientists, including The Institute of Cancer Research, the Cancer Research Campaign and Imperial Cancer Research Fund.
• Scientists do not know what percentage of cases are caused by an inherited genetic susceptibility, but some estimates put the figure at as high as 30% of all cases.
• We know very little about the detailed or molecular mechanism of development of testicular cancer. More work is required to isolate the key cancer genes involved in this process.
• Most (more than 90%) of testicular cancers can be cured if caught at an early stage. Even when these tumours spread they can still be cured in over 80% of cases and large volume tumours can be cured in 50% of cases. Recent work from The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden Hospital on an intensive schedule has shown that with this new treatment, even in this worst group 80% of patients can now be cured.
• Testicular cancer normally presents itself as a lump in the testicle. Regular examination of the testicle can, in most instances, detect testicular cancer at an early stage but neglect can lead to presentation with advanced cancer. Detection and treatment of testicular cancer is helped by the detection of chemicals in the blood (markers) which are found in a large proportion of patients with testicular cancer.
• The Institute was responsible for the development of carboplatin, a new drug which has been successful in treating early testicular cancer. Treatment for testicular cancer may be very intensive, but most patients cured of Testicular cancer have no long-term side effects from treatment. A small proportion of patients will become infertile after chemotherapy treatment. Other side effects of treatment are uncommon but may include damage to the nerve endings, hearing, spasms in the blood vessels and possibly an increased risk of heart disease in the future. There may be a small increased risk of developing other cancers. The risks of these problems are fewer if the cancer is treated earlier.

How common is testicular cancer?
Testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer in young men, mostly between the ages of 20 and 35, although it can develop in boys as young as 15. Incidence has risen by 70% in the last twenty years, with about 1,600 cases a year in the UK.

What causes testicular cancer? Is there anything I can do to reduce the risk of developing it?
We are still investigating the causes of testicular cancer and do not know of any treatments that could prevent it. The most important thing is to check your testicles regularly to detect any changes in their shape or size. The most significant risk factor is un-descended testis at birth with 10% of patients having a history of this condition. Testicular cancer can have a strong genetic component, with brothers, fathers or sons of testicular cancer patients having up to a 10-fold increased risk of developing the disease.

How is testicular cancer diagnosed?
Testicular cancer can be diagnosed through regular self-checking of the normal size and shape of your testicles. When these have altered in some way, it is important to consult with your doctor. Please note that most lumps are benign (non-cancerous) and no operation is necessary.

How is testicular cancer treated?
Testicular cancer can be treated by surgery, by radiotherapy or by chemotherapy. In some cases these treatments are combined. The most straightforward and safest way of dealing with a cancerous lump is to remove the testicle.

Can a man diagnosed with testicular cancer make a full recovery?
More than 96% of testicular cancers can be cured if caught at an early stage. Even when the tumour spreads, the cure rate is over 80% (people with large volume tumours have a 50% cure rate). Treatment may be very intensive, but most patients cured will have no long-term side effects from treatment. A small proportion of patients will become infertile after chemotherapy treatment. Other side effects of treatment are uncommon but may include damage to the nerve endings, hearing and poor circulation. There may be a slightly increased risk of developing other cancers. The risks of these problems are lessened if the cancer is treated early.

Will the operation affect my sex drive and will I still be able to father children?
Once you have recovered from the immediate effects of the operation (it can be sore for a few days afterwards) you should be able to have sex as normal. In most circumstances, one testicle is sufficient to produce sperm to father children. If additional treatment is required following surgery, your fertility can be affected and you will always be offered sperm banking before this treatment commences. Being diagnosed with cancer can be stressful and this can affect the level of performance for some men. If this is the case, please consult with your doctor.

How will it look, after the operation?
Following the surgery you may not look very different to how you were before the operation especially if you have a prosthetic testicle inserted. You will have a small scar in your groin, although the scrotal area itself will be little changed.

Will I lose my masculinity?
This is a common worry for men with testicular cancer. Masculinity is due to the testosterone hormone that is produced by the testicles. In the majority of men one testicle can produce enough testosterone to support your masculinity. Occasionally if the remaining testicle has been damaged, your doctor can recommend replacement testosterone therapy to maintain this aspect of your life.

How do I carry out a self-examination?
We recommend this is done after a warm shower or bath when the scrotal skin relaxes. Support the scrotum in the palm of your hand and become familiar with the size and weight of each testicle. Examine each testicle by rolling it between your fingers and thumb. Gently feel for lumps, swellings, or changes in firmness. Remember each testicle has an epididymis at the top which carries sperm to the penis. Don’t panic if you feel this – it’s normal.

Because over 50% of men over the age of 50 have prostate cancer in the United States today, early detection has been at the forefront of prostate health concerns. Recently, the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved the prostate cancer PSA (prostate specific-antigen) test along with the digital rectal exam in order to help in detecting prostate cancer earlier.

Prostate cancer PSA tests are designed to measures the level of PSA in the blood. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein that is produced by the cells of the prostate gland. Your doctor takes a blood sample, and the amount of PSA is measured in a laboratory for elevated levels. It is important to note that prostate cancer PSA test levels do not give doctors enough information to discriminate between benign prostate circumstances and prostate cancer solely on its’ own. However, the doctor will take the result of the prostate cancer PSA and combine it with results from several other tests in order to determine the risk or prevalence of prostate cancer in your body.

Using the prostate cancer PSA test to screen for prostate cancer is controversial because it is not yet known if this test actually aids in saving the lives of the men tested. Also, it is not clear if the benefits of prostate cancer PSA testing outweigh the risks of the diagnostic tests and subsequent cancer treatments. One risk is that the prostate cancer PSA test would falsely show elevated PSA levels and subject the man to unnecessary treatments for conditions that are not life threatening. The procedure used to diagnose prostate cancer is a biopsy that may cause side effects, including but not limited to bleeding and infection. Meanwhile, prostate cancer treatments can cause incontinence, erectile dysfunction and general illness. One should always consider the risks and benefits when subscribing to prostate cancer PSA testing and always choose what is best for you and your future.

• About 27,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the UK.
• It is now the most common cancer in men, having overtaken lung cancer. Prostate cancer kills approx 10,000 men in the UK each year, which is approximately equal to 180 deaths per week, or one death every hour.
• Over the next decade the incidence has been predicted to rise considerably. This is largely due to a likely increase in numbers of cases diagnosed, through the greater use of PSA tests, and an aging population.
• The majority of men with prostate cancer are aged over 60 years.
• There are numerous ways to screen for prostate cancer. These tests include the Digital Rectal Examination, the PSA test and a Transrectal Needle Biopsy.
• The method most commonly used to treat prostate cancer varies in different countries. In the US prostatectomy (removal of the prostate) is common. In the UK, both radiotherapy and prostatectomy are widely used.
• In some cases there can be alternatives to immediate treatment:
  • Watchful waiting is used for elderly patients whose prostate cancer is likely to progress very slowly and will not be their cause of death. In this instance it is not appropriate for immediate active treatment with its associated side effects.
  • Active surveillance aims to individualise therapy by selecting only those men with significant cancers for radical treatment. Men who, in the past would have had either surgery or radiotherapy, are closely monitored with frequent PSA tests and with repeat prostate biopsies. The choice between radical treatment or continued observation is based on evidence of progression during this initial monitoring.
• New improvements in both surgery and radiotherapy may reduce side-effects and increase effectiveness. Conformal radiotherapy delivers higher, lethal doses of radiation to the tumour while minimising damage to the healthy surrounding tissue and a more sophisticated version of conformal radiotherapy known as intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is now under development.
• Brachytherapy using radioactive implants is an alternative to external beam radiation.
• Both radiotherapy and surgery can result in impotence, although this is more common with surgery (50-80% of patients). Surgery may cause incontinence whereas radiotherapy may cause side effects in the bowel.
• Little is known about the detailed or molecular mechanism of development of prostate cancer. The cancer genes involved in the development of this disease have not yet been identified.
• Men with a family history of prostate cancer in a first degree relative are at two to three times increased risk of developing the disease. Several prostate cancer genes have been mapped, and may be responsible for around 20% of familial cases.
• It has been suggested that selenium and vitamin E in the diet may protect against prostate cancer.

The PSA Test

• The PSA test (Prostate Specific Antigen), together with other tests, can be used to screen for early prostate cancer. PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) is a protein made by the prostate gland, which leaks into the bloodstream naturally. Sometimes a raised PSA level can be a sign of prostate cancer. More often, it is caused by something less serious like an inflamed prostate (prostatitis) or an enlargement of the prostate that comes with ageing (benign prostatic hypertrophy). A single PSA test cannot show you whether a prostate cancer is present, or whether it is slow or fast growing.
• At most, one in 14 men diagnosed with early prostate cancer following a positive PSA test will be expected to die from this disease
• There is controversy over whether PSA testing should be used in routine screening for prostate cancer. Many medical professionals feel it will be wrong to introduce national screening in this country because the effectiveness of screening is unproven and the side effects of treatment can be harsh. The NHS decided not to introduce national PSA testing in March 1997, because no research is yet available to demonstrate whether or not there is any improvement in mortality. However, in the USA many men have regular PSA tests from the age of 50.
• Men are advised to visit their doctor if they experience any symptoms of early prostate cancer such as difficulty in passing urine.

How common is prostate cancer?
95% of all prostate cancer patients are aged between 45 and 80. About 27,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. It has become the most common cancer in men overtaking lung cancer. With PSA testing on the increase and an ageing population, incidence is predicted to rise ahead of lung and breast cancer over the next decade.

What causes prostate cancer? Is there anything I can do to reduce the risk of developing it?
Little is known about the genes and molecular mechanism of prostate cancer. Men with a brother or father with prostate cancer have a 3-5 fold increased risk. It has few symptoms in its early stages. When symptoms occur they may include difficulties in urinating or pain and/or stiffness in the lower back and hips. However these symptoms are more commonly caused by other conditions, such as benign (non-cancerous) enlargement of the prostate or arthritis. If you have concerns, you should consult with your doctor.

How is prostate cancer diagnosed?
Early diagnosis of prostate cancer is important for successful treatment. Diagnosis methods include the PSA Blood Test, which tests the level of ‘Prostate Specific Antigen’ in the blood; digital rectal examinations to feel the size of the prostate gland and biopsies which take tiny samples of tissue from the prostate. The PSA test is not specific for cancer and ‘raised’ levels can occur due to benign enlargement or inflammation of the prostate gland. Microscopic examination of the biopsy is required to confirm the presence of cancer.

How is prostate cancer treated?
Some prostate cancers grow so slowly that no treatment is needed. Instead, an active surveillance policy is employed to monitor the condition. When more active treatment is required surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy or a combination of these treatments are used. Surgery, the removal of the prostate gland, is known as a ‘prostatectomy’ and is commonly used in the US. Both radiotherapy and prostatectomy are widely used in the UK.

Will any treatment affect my sex drive and will I still be able to father children?
Different treatments for prostate cancer can cause impotence, reduced ejaculation, a lowered sex drive, urinary incontinence, bowel problems, hot flushes and sweats and tiredness. Surgery, radiotherapy and hormone therapy all have different side effects which need to be considered in any decisions about treatment.

Will I lose my masculinity?
Treatment for prostate cancer is likely to cause infertility. This should be discussed with your doctor before you start treatment.

Is the chance of developing prostate cancer influenced by dietary or environmental factors?
Eating a diet high in animal fat and low in fresh fruit, vegetables and fish and being exposed to cadmium (a heavy metal) or ‘radiation’ have been identified as possible risk factors which may be associated with prostate cancer. However research is still continuing in this area. Some preliminary research suggests that Lycopene (the compound that gives the tomato its appealing red colour), selenium and vitamin E in the diet could play a preventative role in the development of prostate cancer.

I have heard about PSA screening. Is it necessary for all men over a certain age to be screened?
The PSA test (Prostate Specific Antigen) can be used to screen for early prostate cancer. A raised result does not necessarily mean you have cancer, a positive biopsy is needed to confirm cancer which will occur in about one man out of every five. If prostate cancer is diagnosed, it is not necessarily life threatening and curative treatment many not be required – as most men diagnosed with early prostate cancer following a positive PSA test would be expected to have slowly growing cancer which should not cause any problems during their natural lifespan. There is controversy whether PSA testing should be used in routine screening for prostate cancer. Many medical professionals feel it will be wrong to introduce national screening in this country because the effectiveness of screening is unproven and the side effects of treatment can be significant. As a result there is no NHS PSA testing programme because it has not been demonstrated that it leads to an improvement in mortality. However every man over 50 has a right to a PSA test if they request it and in the US many men have regular PSA tests from the age of 50.

A prostatectomy is operation in which all or part of the prostate is removed. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland in the groin that produces the fluid in male semen. Because the prostate fully encompasses the urethra, any enlargement or tumor can restrict the normal flow of urine. This restriction causes symptoms such as difficult, painful, and/or frequent urination. Depending upon the progression of the enlarged gland. there are several types of prostatectomy that doctors may perform. The most common prostatectomy procedures are transurethral, perineal, retropubic, and suprapubic.

The risks involved in prostatectomy procedures are permanent or semi-permanent impotence. In addition, there are the more common risks such as the danger of serious bleeding or infection. However, if a cancerous prostate is left in place, the disease can also spread to other parts of the body and cause death.

A benign enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is found within more than half of all men in the United States in their 60s and as many as 90% of those over the age of 90. Benign enlargements are usually removed using a prostatectomy technique that requires an incision but rather a scope that is inserted into the urethra with a small score that is used to cut pieces of the gland off of the bladder and cauterize the area to stop bleeding. Malignant enlargements such as those found in prostate cancer, the second leading cause of death in men, sometimes may not require a prostatectomy at all but rather a method of watchful waiting. This technique is often used with slow growing cancer and through two major types of prostatectomy called radical retropubic prostatectomy and radical perineal prostatectomy. These prostatectomies are only performed on patients whose cancer is found only in the prostate. If cancer has spread into other parts of the body, removing the prostate will not prevent the remaining cancer from growing and spreading further.

Nearly two hundred thousand men get diagnosed with prostate cancer yearly, it comes down to about one in every six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. The ratio may seem a little steep but only one in twenty five people diagnosed with prostate cancer will die due to it. Prostate cancer is has a cure rate of over ninety percent when caught and treated early on. The best way to beat prostate cancer is to be aware of its symptoms, and if suffering from the symptoms you should have yourself checked out. Symptoms for prostate cancer include an over active bladder especially at night. A difficult time starting or even stopping the urination once it has started. If you have weak or interrupted flow of urine, such as random pauses in your urine stream. Another symptom of prostate cancer is the presence of blood in the urine or semen. If you have constant pain or stiffness in your lower back, pain and stiffness of the hips, or of the upper thighs can also be a symptom of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer also presents with some sexual side effects, which can include trouble in having an erection or painful ejaculation. All of these symptoms could relate to prostate cancer and if you have one or more you should speak with a medical professional about a prostate exam.

There are a few different methods of treating prostate cancer. The success rate and method used can depend on how early the prostate cancer is found. One method that is becoming more popular is called active surveillance, this is simply watching and testing to see if the issue worsens or symptoms arise, if things change for the worse surgery may be recommended. The surgical method of treating prostate cancer is called a prostatectomy, this is the total removal of the prostate, in most cases they come if from the abdomen and down behind the pubic bone to remove the prostate. Radiation is another method used for the treatment of prostate cancer, the radiation treatment works by shrinking and killing the cancer cells surrounding the prostate. Hormone therapy is yet another method of fighting prostate cancer, this method involves limiting the testosterone in your body, testosterone is the hormone that prostate cancer fuels itself with, without this fuel the cancer could potentially die off.

The prostate gland is located at the base of the bladder if the male body. If the tissues of the gland are swollen, the prostate may need to be surgically removed or destroyed to prevent further complications. There are three major types of prostate surgery; they are transurethral resection of the prostate or TURP, laser prostatectomy, and open prostatectomy. Your doctor’s decision regarding which type of prostate surgery to perform depends on the size of the swollen prostate gland. For example, a gland that is bigger than 30 grams and is less than 80 grams will likely have TURP prostate surgery performed. If the prostate is larger than 90 grams in size, open prostatectomy is the most recommended type of procedure.

Transurethral resection of the prostate is the most common surgical procedure and is performed using spinal epidural or general anesthesia. A cystoscope is inserted into the urethra and up to the prostate gland and a cutting instrument is inserted through the cystoscope tube removing the prostate gland in small pieces. Cauterization is a method used by conducting an electric current to stop the bleeding during the prostate surgery to keep the area clean and lessen the chances of infection.

Laser prostatectomy uses light beams to destroy the swollen prostate tissue that is blocking the opening of the urethra and bladder passage. This prostate surgery usually does not require a hospital stay. After surgery a Foley catheter may be placed to help drain the bladder after surgery for a number of days. Afterward, urine flow should improve and decrease the symptoms related to the inflammation.

Open prostatectomy is performed with an incision that is made in the lower abdomen through which the prostate gland is removed. This is a much more complicated procedure and usually requires a longer hospitalization period and an extended recovery period.