When is an "orchiectomy" used for prostate cancer?

This procedure is sometimes used in the treatment of prostate cancer which has spread or when cancer recurs. Doctors have found that the spread of cancer can often be controlled for years by removing the testicles man's natural source of the male sex hormone. An orchiectomy is the removal of the testicle. Removal of both testicles is a bilateral orchiectomy.

Isn't an orchiectomy the same as castration? 

Some men have the mistaken belief that removal of the testicles will leave them with feminine voices and enlarged breasts. This is simply not so if the man has passed puberty. If both testicles are removed, orchiectomy does leave the patient sterile but usually he does not lose his ability to have an erection.

Orchidectomy | Surgery Video


Aren't sterility, impotency, and the lack of ability to ejaculate the same thing? 

Sterility is the opposite of fertility and means that you are no longer able to father a child. Men who have had a vasectomy are sterile but are still potent and can ejaculate. Impotency refers to the inability to achieve erection. Prostatectomy may or may not leave a man impotent, depending upon whether the nerves governing erection are severed. Prostatectomy will often leave a man incapable of ejaculating, as the seminal fluids are forced backward into the bladder, from which they subsequently are excreted in the urine. If both vas are also severed, he will also be sterile. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Where does Melanoma most often metastasize?

Image
What is malignant melanoma? Malignant melanoma is a less common form of skin cancer. When diagnosed early, it is easily cured. But if it is not found soon enough, it can be very difficult to treat. It is dangerous because, unlike the other skin cancers, it mestastasizes early and spreads quickly. It is one of the more uncontrollable cancers. The cell involved is the melanocyte, the cell which produces melanin, the dark protective pigment of the skin.
What is the difference between an ordinary mole and melanoma? An ordinary mole is evenly colored, and either brown, tan or black. It may be flat or raised. It is round or oval and its edges are sharply defined. An ordinary mole is usually less than 6 millimeters in diameter about the size of a pencil eraser. Ordinary moles may be present at birth. Sometimes several appear at the same time, usually on areas of the skin which have been exposed to the sun. Once the mole develops, it usually stays the same size, shape and color for many years.…
Read more

Ejaculation and sexual life problems after prostate surgery

Image
Yes. After prostatectomy, the ability to ejaculate through the penis is lost. What happens is that ejaculation occurs but it is directed backward into the bladder, rather than forward through the urethra. The semen remains in the bladder until urination, and is carried out via that route. The man who ejaculates in this manner has the very same sensations during sex that he had before except that there is no discharge through the penis.
Can a total prostatectomy be done without impairing the ability to have an erection?  Dr. Patrick C. Walsh, a surgeon at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, has developed a way of removing the prostate which preserves potency by bypassing the intricate nerve branches of the pelvic plexus. This technique is now being adopted by many surgeons for patients with early stage prostate cancer. Until the advent of this type of surgery, 90 percent of those having prostatectomies lost their sexual ability, and 2 to 5 percent became incontine…
Read more

How to know if your ankle is broken? How is a broken ankle treated?

Image
Fractures of the AnkleHow do ankle fractures occur? Ankle fractures are caused by a forceful and excessive twisting of the ankle, either in or out. The twist comes from stumbling, catching the foot in a crevice, or falling, in which the weight of the body is unevenly distributed. Many skiers suffer fractured ankles, and some of the best treatments have been evolved by surgeons practicing near ski slopes. The stress and strain factors in the ankle are so uniform that the pattern of the injury, dislocation and deformity is specific. Many varieties of ankle fractures are grouped together under the name of Pott's fracture.

What shall I do, Doctor? I'm at a gas station phone and my wife just fell down and twisted her ankle. 

If it is painful and she can't walk, it may be a fracture. Don't manipulate it, don't pull it. Just wrap a towel or pillow around it and take her to a hospital for an X ray. It is best if she does not walk. You can carry her in a chair.
How does an an…
Read more

How painful is a bone marrow transplant for the donor

Image
What is a bone marrow transplant?  Bone marrow transplantation is an approach used over the past 10 years for the treatment of acute leukemia and lymphoma. It is a complex procedure and should be undertaken only by physicians with the experience and resources needed to get the best results.
When is a bone marrow transplant used?  It may be used in some cases of several types of diseases aplastic anemia (when patients do not have enough red cells to carry oxygen, enough white cells to fight bacteria, or enough platelets to help clotting), in some types of acute and chronic leukemia, for some lymphomas, for severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome, and for certain inherited blood disorders such as thalassemia. A bone marrow transplant replaces a patient's abnormal or diseased marrow with healthy marrow from a donor.
Can any leukemia patient undergo a bone marrow transplantation?  No. When patients and doctors consider the possibility of treatment with a bone marrow transplant, they m…
Read more

What is the symptoms of a head concussion? Is concussion a brain injury?

Image
Head Injuries The brain is man's most vital possession. Recent details about organ transplants have centered on the definition of death. These discussions have emphasized that, even though the heart may continue to beat, the individual is considered dead if there is no brain activity.

Nature provides a thick scalp and skull to protect the brain and further encloses it in envelopes called the meninges. Some injuries to the head may be trivial, others may be fatal.

The surgeon who is called upon to evaluate the patient with a head injury tackles the problem from within out. Damage to the brain and its envelope is most important; injury to the skull is of concern in only some instances. Bleeding from the scalp is the most apparent manifestation of injury but is the least important. Survival and the late effects of a head injury depend on the extent of the injury to the brain and not to its coverings. The best possible supportive medical crre is provided to those who will recover spon…
Read more

What are the most important side effects of taking female hormones?

Image
Would the doctor prescribe estrogen if my ovaries were removed because of cancer?  No. If there is any sign of a cancerous condition, estrogen would probably not be prescribed. 
What is the estrogen controversy?  Estrogen is a female hormone produced by the ovaries. Scientists have also developed chemical estrogen. Both regulate the development of female sexual characteristics. For a number of years, estrogens have been prescribed for women during and after menopause to make up for the decline in this hormone normally produced by the ovaries. Estrogen has been found helpful in relieving symptoms associated with menopause, such as hot flashes, in overcoming drying of vaginal tissues and in retarding osteoporosis (thinning of bones). However, the use of estrogen during and after menopause has been linked to an increase in endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus), and it may be linked to other cancers as well. At this time,scientists do not agree about whether the risks of …
Read more

How is a broken or cracked rib treated?

Image
Chest Injuries The chest consists of the bony thorax and the organs that lie within it. The thorax comprises twelve ribs on each side of the chest, each of which attaches to the bony spine in the back and to the chest bone (sternum) in front. Each chest cavity has a smooth delicate lining (pleura) within which the lung rhythmically expands and deflates.

The diaphragm is the dome shaped muscle that seals off the lower end of the chest from the abdomen. Its upand down motion provides the bellows action for the expansion of the lungs that fills them with air. The function of the lungs is to provide ventilation. Air is moved in to provide oxygen, and carbon dioxide is moved out as a waste product.
The heart is in its own envelope in the center of the chest, behind the breastbone. The heart functions solely as a pump. It circulates the blood into the lung for oxygenation and delivers oxygenated blood to the entire body. The chest also harbors the large blood vessels and the breathing and s…
Read more

The most important difference between Hodgkin's disease and non-hodgkin's lymphoma

Image
Hodgkin's Disease and Non-Hodgkin's LymphomaWhat are lymphomas? Lymphomas are cancers that affect the white blood cells of the immune system. They are characterized by the abnormal growth of lymphocytes, the infection fighting cells in the lymph nodes, spleen, and thymus. The tonsils, stomach, small intestine, and skin may also be affected. Lymphomas are usually classified as Hodgkin's disease, the most common form, or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. There are also other rare forms of the disease, such as mycosis fungoides, a primary skin lymphoma. Burkitt's lymphoma, rare in most of the world, is the most common childhood cancer in central Africa and is one of the fastest growing human cancers. What is the role of the lymph system in the body?  The lymph system is made up of nodes and thin walled tubelike veins along which the nodes lie. Its job is to help fight diseases and infection, and it serves as part of the body's drainage system. Lymph nodes are usually very sm…
Read more

Common Hand Injuries: Treatment for swollen hand due to injury

Image
Hand Injuries Most of us earn our living with our hands. The goal of the treatment of hand injuries is maximum preservation of function. In terms of possible permanent disability, there is no minor surgery in this area. The magnitude of the problem is apparent in the frequency with which it appears in the statistics of the Workmen's Compensation Board and insurance companies.

The best treatment is prevention. One must be constantly alert to the possibility of punctures, door slams, burns, pressure injuries, and the perverse potential of certain mechanical tools. Failing this, early treatment to prevent infection is best. There are relatively clearly defined methods of managing various types of injury. The patient can describe the site of the injury by indicating its relation to the various creases in the palm or to the knuckles and nails on the back of the hand. Physicians can treat all hand and finger injuries under some form of nerve blocking anesthesia, so the patient feels abs…
Read more

What is the difference between a radical mastectomy and modified radical mastectomy?

Image
In the radical mastectomy (also known as the Halsted mastectomy) the doctor removes the breast tissue, the lymph nodes under the armpit, and the muscle under the breast. The modified radical, which most surgeons are now using, removes the breast tissue and the lymph nodes, but the muscle is left intact. The advantage of the modified radical is that it is cosmetically more attractive and does not handicap the motion of the arm. Studies indicate that the survival rate for the two operations is the same.
Is the choice of what surgical procedure I will have up to me or up to the doctor? Of course your doctor is responsible for the surgery. But he cannot perform any operation unless you give your signed consent to have it done. You should have your doctor give you his complete explanation of what he recommends as his bestjudgment and ask him all the questions that concern you about the operation. Do not sign anything until you are certain you understand what you are signing. It is your righ…
Read more