List of complications that develop after prostate cancer surgery

VARIOUS TYPES OF COMPLICATIONS AFTER PROSTATE CANCER SURGERY

Prostate cancer is quite a common type of cancer that is found to develop among men as this type of cancer affects the prostate gland. Prostate cancer is a serious condition as the cells in the prostate gland multiply abnormally and affect the neighboring lymph nodes and later on, the other parts of the body. Primarily, such conditions create a lump that later forms a tumor (may be benign at first and later becomes malignant). Such a type of tumor can result in a lot of health complications, some of which include mild to severe pain once the cancer cells start spreading, especially into the bones, that is, when metastasis occurs, erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and so on.

Prostate cancer requires a proper diagnosis and treatment under the supervision of an experienced oncologist and surgeon. Doctors usually suggest treatment procedures for curing prostate cancer such as radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, immune therapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and so on to get rid of prostate cancer. One of the most common types of treatment procedures for curing prostate cancer is surgery. However, surgery can cause a lot of side effects and complications. So, what do you need to do in such cases? This article will give you an outlook on what types of health complications may develop after going through prostate cancer surgery, in vivid detail.

Prostate cancer and its surgery: Here is what you must know about it

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among those who are assigned male at birth, that is, among men. This cancer initially develops in the prostate gland, the male organ that is associated with the secretion of seminal fluid, which is one of the components of semen) and as the cancer progresses, it may spread into the other parts of the body as well.

When someone starts developing prostate cancer, there is a high chance that the cancer will start spreading and start affecting various organs of the body. This would be quite a severe condition and therefore must be treated in due time. However, it is important to note here that you may develop various types of health complications while you go through the recovery process, especially if you go through surgery for prostate cancer, you are more likely to feel the aftereffects of the surgery. Many healthcare professionals may suggest treatment methods such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, and so on for treating this type of cancer, but such treatments can have a lot of side effects. Though these methods are effective enough to cure cancer, they can give rise to health complications. But there is nothing to worry about such complications if they are efficiently handled within time (that is if your prostate cancer symptoms are detected, diagnosed, and treated before the advanced stages) by your physicians and you will eventually recover from prostate cancer. But there is one thing to remember, that is, health complications might arise after prostate cancer surgery and if you consult about this with your healthcare professional, the health issues will gradually get solved and you will be able to recover effectively.

The complications that arise after the surgery for prostate cancer:

The aftermath of prostate cancer surgery might help you to recover from the severe conditions that have been created by the cancer but there will be ample chances to develop certain types of health complications which may affect your overall physiological functioning and can therefore affect your overall wellness. Some of the most common conditions and health complications that you might develop after prostate cancer surgery include the following:

Developing urinary tract infections after prostate cancer surgery:

According to recent studies and experiments (Trusted Sources) that have been conducted over almost 29,000 men show that those men who went through surgery for treating prostate cancer had a rate of urinary tract infection and other types of related health complications which was almost 2.1% more than those men who did not go through the surgery. Moreover, this study also claims that the risks of developing conditions like sepsis, a health issue characterized by the response of the body to an infection that damages other organs, are also much lower. But, it is important to note here that if you have prostate cancer, a minimally invasive prostatectomy can be usually handled effectively. In fact, urinary tract infections are generally rare after prostatectomy.

However, there are pieces of evidence of people suffering from urinary tract infections or UTIs, caused by the actions of bacteria in the urinary tract. Such conditions mostly take place because bacteria and other infection-creating germs can travel into the urinary system through a catheter. A urinary tract infection is quite a serious condition of the body when the organs that are present in the urinary tract of your body, that is, the urinary bladder and the kidneys, along with the other parts of the body such as the urethra, ureters, and so on are affected due to the presence of germs or bacterial actions. This type of infection is usually caused due to the infections caused by microbes, especially bacteria, and other germs like fungi, and in some cases by viruses (but this is in very rare cases).

Urinary tract infections can occur after prostate cancer treatments, especially after going through the surgery because an important part of a prostatectomy involves a step of attaching the urethra, which is a tube that carries urine out of the body directly to the bladder after the prostate gland has been taken out. Although upper tract UTIs are much rare in occurrence than in the lower UTI tract, then they can be more severe. But before becoming aware of urinary tract infections, it is also important to understand how these infections truly occur. As a catheter with a soft, silicone tube is passed through the urethra into the urinary bladder as a method of recovery from the cancer, there may be chances of developing infections. But such risks can be effectively minimized when your doctor prescribes you to have antibiotics both during the surgery and then again immediately before removing the catheter one to two weeks after the surgery.

Fluids may collect in the pelvic region:

After prostate cancer surgery, there will be risks of fluids getting collected in the pelvic region once the affected lymph nodes have been reduced after the surgery. The pelvic lymph nodes that drain the prostate are commonly removed during prostate cancer surgery. This is done to understand whether there is any cancer spread to the lymph nodes. Now, there would certainly be a risk of leaking the lymph fluid due to the removal of the lymph nodes after the procedure and pooling up in the pelvis. Such a condition is known as lymphocele. In most conditions, the lymphoceles are asymptomatic, but in some cases, some of them may get infected. If a patient develops such conditions, they are asked to take antibiotics to drain the lymphocele using a percutaneous catheter. But this has to be done after consulting with your healthcare professional and under the supervision of an expert so that you can avoid any type of health risks.

Risks of gastrointestinal problems:

After prostate cancer surgery, patients may tend to develop gastrointestinal complications, though these conditions are quite rare. After the surgery, the small intestine, one of the major organs that play a vital role in the digestive system is found to function improperly and can bowel problems, health issues related to the function of the ileus, digestive problems, problems in bowel movement, and so on. After the surgery, many patients are found to develop quite a different sort of surgical complication called a small bowel obstruction.

What can be the other types of health complications that may arise after prostate cancer surgery?

Apart from the types mentioned above, prostate cancer surgery may result in other side effects as well, such as follows:

• Mild to profuse bleeding (depending on the condition of the cancer)

• Development of blood clots

• Chances of developing infections

• Risks of damage to organs that are located nearby

• Erectile dysfunction

• Problems of glucose control due to poor glycemic levels

• Incontinence, that is problems with urine

• An allergic reaction to anesthesia.