Prostate Cancer : In Depth - Deciding on Treatment
Print
Email
SaveHealthline's Premium Tools
Healthline Part D Plan Selector
Medicare's drug plans are subsidized by the US federal government and offered through insurers.
Advertisement
Marketplace
|
Researchers are continually finding new ways to treat prostate cancer. Men diagnosed with it now have more hope for survival than ever before.
|
|
The prognosis for men diagnosed with prostate cancer before it has spread is excellent. These are the facts according to the 2007 Cancer Facts & Figures from the American Cancer Society. The survival rate for men whose prostate cancer is found while it's still in only the prostate is about 100%. Doctors find 90% of all prostate cancers while they're still in this stage. The overall survival rates for all stages combined are also good.
|
|
When prostate cancer is confined to the prostate or has only spread to nearby areas, it is called early-stage prostate cancer. It's also called local prostate cancer. Your doctor may suggest one or more of these treatments if you have local prostate cancer. They are listed from the most to least common.
|
|
When prostate cancer has spread to places in your body that aren't close to your prostate, it's called advanced prostate cancer. It's also called metastatic prostate cancer. Your doctor may suggest one or more of these treatments if you have advanced prostate cancer. They are listed from the most to least common.
|
|
Being told that you have cancer is frightening. But most men diagnosed with prostate cancer don't die from it. Even though a cure can't be guaranteed, treatment can often keep the cancer under control. The treatment your healthcare team will suggest depends on many factors. These include your age, your overall health, how fast the cancer is growing, and whether it has spread. Discuss your options with your healthcare team.
|
 |
"In the late ‘80s, we found that men with prostate cancer wanted the least involvement in making their treatment decision," says Lesley Degner, RN, PhD. "How things have changed!"
|
|
At first, the information you learn about treatment options may seem overwhelming. You may ease the stress by allowing yourself the time to gather as much information as possible about your disease and its treatment. That way, you can discuss the issues with your doctors, nurses, and loved ones.
|
|
Prostate cancer that has spread needs to be treated differently than if it hasn't spread. For instance, men whose cancer has spread usually do not have surgery to remove the prostate. So before you can begin your treatment, your doctor needs to learn whether or not your cancer has spread.
|
|
The goal of watchful waiting is to delay other treatment for prostate cancer until, or unless, it shows signs that it's harming you. It can be the first choice for treatment if your cancer doesn't pose a serious threat to your quality or length of life.
|
|
If you opt for watchful waiting, your doctor will monitor you. You'll see your doctor every 3 to 6 months. At each visit you'll get a PSA blood test. You'll also get a brief physical examination, including a digital rectal exam (DRE) and a blood test to check your PSA level.
|
|
Surgery is a commonly performed treatment used to cure prostate cancer. The first goal of surgery is to remove the tumor. A second goal of surgery may be to ease symptoms.
|
|
Radical prostatectomy is the name of the surgery that removes a cancerous tumor. Its goal is to cure you of cancer. It involves removing all of the following:
|
 |
To help treat your enlarged prostate gland and relieve your symptoms, your doctor may recommend laser prostatectomy. A laser (concentrated light energy) is used to destroy the part of the enlarged prostate gland that is squeezing the urethra. Because the laser destroys the obstructing prostate tissue, it can't be examined for signs of cancer. Your doctor will rule out the possibility of cancer before the procedure is performed.
|
|
Radical prostatectomy is a common surgery to treat prostate cancer. This surgery may be a good choice for you if the following statements are true.
|
|
A surgeon that operates on prostate cancer is called a urologist. You'll meet with your urologist before surgery to talk about any concerns you may have.
|
|
On the day of your radical prostatectomy, you will be given a drug called an anesthesia. This makes you fall asleep and keeps you from feeling pain during the operation. You'll get this from an anesthesiologist or a nurse anesthetist. Before surgery, you'll meet the anesthesiologist. Then you can ask questions about the anesthesia and how it will affect you. What happens from that point depends on the kind of surgery you are having.
|
|
Surgery to remove the prostate lasts from 1.5 to 4 hours. After the prostate and other structures are removed, your surgeon reattaches the remaining urethra to your bladder. While you're still sleeping, your doctor will place a small tube for draining urine, called a catheter, in your penis. It will stay in place for a few weeks.
|
|
This type of surgery only removes some of the cancer. It doesn't cure cancer. It is done when a radical prostatectomy isn't an option and to relieve symptoms. For instance, it may be done when a man cannot urinate. This is a less common choice for treating prostate cancer.
|
 |
TURP is a type of surgery used to treat a benign enlargement of the prostate, also known as BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia). This surgical treatment removes prostate tissue to relieve pressure on the urethra. This helps relieve symptoms. TURP is the most common BPH procedure. But certain other procedures also help relieve BPH symptoms. Your doctor may do one of these instead of TURP. They include TUIP, TUNA, or laser ablation. If you will have one of these procedures, your doctor can tell you more about it. Your preparation and experience during surgery will be similar to TURP.
|
|
This treatment is also known as cryosurgery. Its goal is to cure prostate cancer or ease the symptoms of local recurrent prostate cancer. It works by using liquid nitrogen to freeze and kill the cancer cells.
|
|
Right now most doctors don't recommend cryotherapy as the first choice for treatment. This treatment is more difficult if you've already had a TURP procedure. Your doctor may suggest it as a salvage therapy. That means it is used after another treatment that hasn't worked. Cryotherapy might be your best option if any of these is true for you.
|
|
Cryotherapy is a type of surgery. But it's considered a less invasive procedure. The incisions are tiny. That means you'll recover faster and only be in the hospital for 1 to 2 days.
|
|
Even though cryosurgery is a fairly simple operation, it does come with some side effects. You should discuss these with your urologist before having the procedure. It can be difficult to tell if these are side effects of the surgery or if they are symptoms of prostate cancer since this treatment is usually for men whose cancer is in later stages. Here are some side effects you may have after this treatment. They're listed from the most to the least common.
|
|
Radiation treatment is also called radiotherapy. Its goal is to use radiation to kill or shrink cancer cells. If you have early-stage prostate cancer, radiation can be as effective as surgery to cure your cancer. Stage I or II is considered an early stage. If your cancer has spread beyond your prostate and the nearby areas, your doctor may use radiation to shrink the cancer and ease symptoms.
|
|
Your doctor may suggest radiation treatment if any of these statements is true for you.
|
|
You can receive external beam radiation treatment (EBRT) as an outpatient. That means you may have it at a hospital or a clinic, but you don't have to stay the night. Usually you'll get treatment 5 days a week. And the treatment will continue for 6, 7, 8, or 12 weeks, depending on the type and dose of EBRT you get.
|
|
Radiation therapy affects normal cells as well as cancer cells. Thus the side effects of radiation depend on the amount and the type of radiation you get. Be sure to let your doctor know of any side effects you have.
|
|
For this type of radiation, your doctor uses a needle to place tiny radioactive pellets into your prostate. These pellets are also called seeds. The seeds can be temporary or permanent. They're so small that you won't feel them. The procedure requires only one treatment.
|
|
These are some common side effects of internal radiation during the first week.
|
|
Your doctor may recommend hormone treatment if any of these applies to you. You are older, neither surgery nor radiation is a good option for you, and you don't want to try watchful waiting.
|
|
Prostate cancer may be sensitive to hormones, meaning that it may need male hormones to grow. Male hormones are called androgens. The goal of hormone treatment is to eliminate or lower the amount of hormones that your testes produce. The most common androgen is testosterone. By reducing its level, your tumor may stop growing or shrink. Hormone treatment will not cure your cancer. It will only slow down its growth.
|
|
There are 2 approaches to hormone therapy: drug-based and surgical. Drug-based therapies are also called medical hormone therapy. Here's how each approach works. The surgical approach is called orichiectomy.
|
|
Talk with your doctor the side effects you might have based on the type of hormone treatment you choose.
|
|
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Unfortunately, the drugs also harm healthy cells. Right now chemotherapy does not cure prostate cancer. But there are drugs that ease symptoms such as bone pain. Chemotherapy can also help decrease PSA levels and reduce the amount of cancer. Plus it has been shown to make men with prostate cancer live several months longer. It's often used after hormone treatment fails. Researchers are always looking for new drugs that may work better.
|
|
How often you get chemotherapy treatments depends on the type of chemotherapy that you will receive. The type of chemotherapy you receive often depends on the size of your tumor and how fast it is spreading.
|
|
The side effects of chemotherapy are different for everyone. They depend on these things.
|
 |
 |
Home | About | Health Experts | Careers | Site Map | Feedback | Help | Health Tools | Tell a Friend
Advertise | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Advertise | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2005 - 2008 Healthline Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.