Prostate Cancer Now Has Some Famous Faces WAKEFIELD, Mass., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Actor Robert DeNiro recently disclosed his diagnosis of prostate cancer. Secretary of State Colin Powell underwent surgery recently for the same illness. These equally private men have confronted what many men struggle with in choosing among treatment alternatives for early stage prostate cancer. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031218/NYFNSG13 ) With over 200,000 men in the U.S. diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, more are weighing various alternate treatment options to prostatectomy, the surgical removal of the prostate. This includes I-Plant(TM) by Implant Sciences, a minimally invasive radioactive treatment that can be done on an out patient basis. Surgery removes the cancerous tumor. The major downside of surgery is that nerves to the prostate are often severed, potentially rendering a patient impotent and incontinent. So, to limit these side effects and the high risk associated with any major surgery, treatment alternatives for those with prostate cancer to consider are becoming more popular. Hormone therapy can shrink the size of a prostate tumor to prepare for further treatment. However, hormone therapy usually is only recommended for the advanced stages of the disease. Another type of treatment, external beam radiation, is most often given for five days a week for approximately two months. A machine focuses beams of radiation into the prostate gland. While the side effects of this kind of treatment are not as harsh as surgery, cure rates are also lower. When former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was diagnosed with prostate cancer a few years ago, he sought out an option called brachytherapy. Commonly referred to as radiation "seed" implants, brachytherapy is a treatment where rice-sized radioactive pellets are implanted into the prostate gland to kill the cancerous cells. Such products as I-Plant(TM) seeds are used in a unique "inside-out" radioactive treatment. They are implanted into the cancerous prostate gland in a minimally invasive procedure that takes about 45 minutes. Patients normally return home the same day. The best candidates for brachytherapy treatment are those with early stage prostate cancer. And as far as the therapy itself, the cure rate is high and the side effects less intrusive. Getting regular prostate cancer screenings, just as women go for mammograms on a regular basis to screen for breast cancer, may dramatically increase the chances of many more men being diagnosed sooner. Opting, then, for alternatives is easier when prostate cancer is detected early on. For more information on brachytherapy, log onto: http://www.implantsciences.com/ or http://www.prostatecancerexperts.com/ http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031218/NYFNSG13 http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Implant Sciences CONTACT: Janet Vasquez, +1-212-825-3210, , for Implant Sciences Web site: http://www.implantsciences.com/ http://www.prostatecancerexperts.com/

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