Great response at the 12th Patients' Day Prostate

Radiation or surgery for prostate cancer? When does the PSA test make sense? How is benign enlargement treated? Topics relating to early detection, modern diagnostics and therapy of prostate diseases were the focus of the "12th Prostate Patient Day" on 4 June 2019 in Cologne, which was attended by around 200 interested and affected persons at the invitation of the West German Prostate Center.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and is newly diagnosed in around 60,000 men in Germany every year. "Targeted preventive examinations can detect early stages of the disease in over 70 percent of cases and cure the affected persons with suitable therapy. "If a tumour limited to the prostate has been diagnosed, the patient has a large number of effective and proven therapy options at his disposal," Dr. Neubauer stressed in his lecture. 

In their presentation, the experts paid particular attention to brachytherapy, a refined radiotherapeutic method in which the smallest radiation sources (seeds) are inserted directly into the prostate.  As pioneers of brachytherapy in Germany, the interdisciplinary team of experts at the West German Prostate Center carried out a total of over 7,500 treatments and has 19 years of data at its disposal.

Help with enlarged prostate

But not every disease of the prostate is malignant. Almost every second man over the age of 50 suffers from a benign enlargement, the so-called prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is manifested by constant urination, a weak urine stream and unpleasant dripping. Here, too, there are several possible therapies, ranging from drugs in the early stages to surgical interventions. For some years now, the Cologne prostate experts have been using particularly gentle laser therapy in addition to the classic peeling procedure. With the innovative diode laser, the excess prostate tissue can be vaporized very precisely and effectively. 

Active dialogue between specialists and patients

The 12th Prostate Patient Day again met with a great response among the participants this year. The urologists from the West German Prostate Center concluded that this once again made clear the immense need for information on the subject of the prostate: "Especially when men are confronted with the diagnosis of prostate cancer, the need for comprehensive information is very great, said Dr. Stephan Neubauer, head of the West German Prostate Center. At this year's Patients' Day, patients and other interested parties had sufficient time to discuss their individual questions openly or anonymously with the prostate experts.