Health checkup: treatment for erectile dysfunction

A number of cancer treatments create ED, whether through surgery, radiation therapy or even chemotherapy. One need look no further than management of prostate cancer, bladder and rectal carcinoma, and the management of certain testicular carcinomas to see the scope of the problem. It is estimated that men who undergo prostate treatment, even with newer techniques, have at least a 50 percent risk of impotence. A recent study from Canada, which reviewed a large number of patients treated for rectal cancer, found an astonishing 32 percent of males reported impotence with another 52 percent reporting partial impotence.

Erectile dysfunction is a serious complication from the treatment of these cancers. Once past the initial threat of their diagnosis, patients frequently report ED as one of the most frustrating side effects. Part of this appears to stem from inadequate discussion between patients and their doctors concerning the risks for ED and the likelihood of recovery. This frustration is also seen in the partners of these men, and this spans all age groups; contrary to advertising, intimacy is not confined to the young. Studies have indicated up to half of men aged 70 or older are sexually active.

PDE-5 inhibitors (Viagra followed by Levitra and Cialis) represent the first major step in drug therapy for erectile dysfunction. Nevertheless, these drugs have a number of side effects and may not work at all in a substantial number of patients. Research continues in an effort to define other pathways for drug therapy. And the advent of less invasive surgery and more precise radiotherapy may diminish the risk of ED resulting from these treatments.