Treatment options for
prostate cancer

Different types of treatment are available for patients with prostate cancer
Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials

A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer

Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment

Watchful waiting or active surveillance

Surgery

Radiation therapy

Hormone therapy

Chemotherapy 

Biological therapy

Watchful waiting is closely monitoring a patient’s condition without giving any treatment until symptoms appear or change

Active surveillance is closely following a patient's condition without giving any treatment unless there are changes in test results

It is used to find early signs that the condition is getting worse. In active surveillance, patients are given certain exams and tests, including biopsies, on a regular schedule

Patients in good health are usually offered surgery as treatment for prostate cancer. The following types of surgery are used:

Pelvic lymphadenectomy

-A surgical procedure to remove the lymph nodes in the pelvis

-A pathologist views the tissue under a microscope to look for cancer cells

-If the lymph nodes contain cancer, the doctor will not remove the prostate and may recommend other treatment

A surgical procedure to remove the prostate, surrounding tissue, and seminal vesicles. There are 2 types of radical prostatectomy:

Retropubic prostatectomy

-A surgical procedure to remove the prostate through an incision (cut) in the abdominal wall

-Removal of nearby lymph nodes may be done at the same time

Perineal prostatectomy

A surgical procedure to remove the prostate through an incision (cut) made in the perineum (area between the scrotum and anus)

Nearby lymph nodes may also be removed through a separate incision in the abdomen

A surgical procedure to remove tissue from the prostate using a resectoscope (a thin, lighted tube with a cutting tool) inserted through the urethra

This procedure is sometimes done to relieve symptoms caused by a tumor before other cancer treatment is given

Transurethral resection of the prostate may also be done in men who cannot have a radical prostatectomy because of age or illness

Transurethral resection of the
prostate: Tissue
is removed from the prostate using a
Resectoscope (a thin, lighted tube with a
cutting tool at the end) inserted through the
urethra. Prostate tissue that is blocking the urethra is cut away and removed through the resectoscope

Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing

External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer
Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer

There is an increased risk of bladder cancer and/or rectal cancer in men treated with radiation therapy

Impotence and urinary problems may occur in men treated with radiation therapy

Hormone therapy is a cancer treatment that removes hormones or blocks their action and stops cancer cells from growing

Hormones are substances made by glands in the body and circulated in the bloodstream. In prostate cancer, male sex hormones can cause prostate cancer to grow

Drugs, surgery, or other hormones are used to reduce the amount of male hormones or block them from working

Chemotherapy uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing.

Chemotherapy is given in cycles. Each treatment period is followed by a rest period. The length of the rest period and the number of cycles depend on the anticancer drugs used.

It is a treatment that uses the patient’s immune system to fight cancer

Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct, or restore the body’s natural defences against cancer

This type of cancer treatment is also called biotherapy or immunotherapy

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