No one prostate cancer treatment is right for every man, but you’ve got plenty of options, from watchful waiting to hormone therapy to surgery.
Your doctor will consider many things when they recommend a prostate cancer treatment for you, including the stage of the disease, your age, and how healthy you are.
Matching the right treatment with your stage isn’t always cut and dried. You might benefit from a combination of a few different approaches.
In some men, prostate cancer can grow so slowly they may never need treatment. But doctors still want to keep an eye on the cancer in case it gets worse. This approach is known as active surveillance or watchful waiting.
Radical prostatectomy is an operation to remove the prostate gland and tissues surrounding it.
The word laparoscopy means to look inside the abdomen with a special camera or scope. Surgery performed with the aid of these cameras is known as keyhole, porthole, or minimally invasive surgery.
Radiation therapy uses high doses of radiation, such as X-rays, to destroy cancer cells.
Hormone treatment (also called androgen deprivation therapy or androgen suppression therapy) removes, blocks, or adds hormones to treat prostate cancer.
Chemotherapy is the use of any one or combination of cancer-fighting drugs. It is prescribed in cases of recurrent or advanced prostate cancer that has not responded to hormone treatment.
Cryotherapy uses extremely cold temperatures to freeze and destroy cancer tissue in the prostate.
Among the options for treating advanced prostate cancer are endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, and Provenge.
Is it possible that remedies like herbs and dietary supplements might help treat or slow the progression of prostate cancer? Researchers continue to investigate.
Through clinical trials, researchers test the effects of new medications on volunteers with prostate cancer.
During prostate cancer treatment, you may see a urologist, radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, or others.
To receive the best care possible for prostate cancer, you should seek care from a multidisciplinary health-care team.
At the doctor’s office, you might feel rushed and forget to ask questions that are important. It's a good idea to know what to ask beforehand and to take notes while you’re there.
Here are some questions you should ask your doctor if you're diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.