By Sola Ogundipe
For men undergoing surgery for prostate cancer, removing the tumour may solve the immediate threat, but it can leave behind another deeply personal problem: erectile dysfunction.
Researchers are exploring an unusual way to help sexual function return. The approach, according to a publication in New Scientist, involves placing thin sheets of dehydrated human placenta around nerves exposed during prostate surgery. Early evidence suggests the technique may help some men regain erections sooner.
The idea is attracting attention because the nerves responsible for erections can be stretched, bruised or damaged during prostate cancer surgery, even when surgeons manage to spare them. Recovery can take months and, in some cases, considerably longer.
The placenta-derived material is being investigated as a biological aid to nerve healing. Placental tissue contains a range of growth factors and other biological components that researchers believe could support tissue repair and reduce inflammation around injured nerves.
“To help men get better erections, we’re using donations of placentas from women,” said Shirin Razdan, a surgeon at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital in Miami.
The principle is based on belief that if the delicate nerves involved in erection can be protected and supported immediately after surgery, they may have a better chance of recovering their function.
A review involving thousands of prostate cancer operations has reported an earlier return of erectile function among men who received the placenta-derived treatment. Some studies have reported erections returning within about a week, compared with roughly two weeks among men who did not receive the intervention.
The findings, however, need to be viewed with caution. An earlier return of erections doesn’t necessarily mean the treatment restores normal sexual function in every patient. Nor does it prove that the placenta material alone is responsible for all of the improvement observed.
An earlier return of erections may be encouraging, but the more important questions are whether men ultimately regain satisfactory erections, how long any benefit lasts, whether sexual function improves enough to affect quality of life, and whether the procedure brings additional risks or costs. The research reflects a growing interest in regenerative approaches to complications of cancer treatment.
Prostate cancer surgery is increasingly successful at controlling localised disease, but survival isn’t the only measure of a successful outcome.
For many men, being able to return to normal sexual, urinary and social functioning is also an important part of life after cancer.
For now, the placenta-derived technique is largely regarded as an emerging approach rather than a proven solution for post-surgical erectile dysfunction. Further research is ongoing.
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