Prostate Cancer
Treatment Options
Although prostate cancer is the most common cancer
in American men, the outlook for men with prostate cancer is promising.
More prostate patients are living better and longer than ever before
thanks to experienced doctors using highly advanced equipment and
techniques to treat the disease.
There are a wide variety of treatments
available for the management of prostate cancer. Treatments plans
are individualized for each man and vary according to when the cancer
is diagnosed and which therapies will target it most successfully.
Your cancer team will tailor a program designed to offer the best
outcome and lifestyle for you and your family. Below are the most
commonly used treatments.
Radical Prostatectomy
Surgical
removal of the entire prostate gland to eliminate the cancer from
spreading.
Radioactive Prostate Seed Implants
Treatment
delivered by radioactive pellets that are placed directly into
the prostate and surrounding tissues. This type of treatment also
is called brachytherapy, which comes from the Greek word “brachy,” which
means near or close to. In other words, therapy that is near or
close to the tumor. Seed implants can deliver two to four times
more radiation than external beam radiation. Learn
more…
External
Beam Radiation Therapy
Treatment with high-energy X-rays,
delivered by powerful linear accelerators, that can destroy cancer
cells or keep them from multiplying. The X-rays pass through the
patient and preferentially kill cancer cells. Learn
more…
Hormone
Therapy
Treatment through drugs that interrupt the
body’s
mechanisms for producing hormones, which can either slow down or
stop the growth of prostate cancer. Most prostate cancers are stimulated
to grow by testosterone and other similar male hormones. When the
production of these hormones is suppressed, or these hormones are
prevented from getting to the tumor, the cancer will usually stop
growing and shrink. This treatment can work well for many years. Learn
more…
Watchful
Waiting
Patients whose cancers are not likely to harm
them are candidates for watchful waiting. With watchful waiting,
patients do not undergo treatment, but rather they are carefully
monitored with routine prostate
specific antigen (PSA) tests. For
some patients, periodic repeat prostate biopsies also are performed.
Combination Therapy
There are
many situations where combinations of the above treatments are
recommended. Learn more...
Radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation
and radioactive prostate seed implantation are potential cures
for prostate cancer. Hormone therapy may force the cancer into
a prolonged remission but does not provide a cure unless it is
combined with other treatments.
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