| Prostate Cancer Treatment Options | | | | conjunction with hormone treatments. |
| There are different types of prostate cancer | | | | Locally advanced cancer is where the cancer has |
| treatment options for men who have different | | | | grown through the prostate gland's surrounding |
| stages of tumor development. There is low, | | | | capsule. Surgery and external radiotherapy along with |
| intermediate and high risk localized and locally | | | | hormone treatment are offered. Metastasis means |
| advanced prostate cancer and then tumors that | | | | the spread of cancer cells. Metastatic prostate cancer |
| return after initial treatment. Due to advancing | | | | means that cancer cells have spread away from the |
| research there is a lot of prostate cancer information | | | | original tumor perhaps into the blood stream and |
| on hand for patients to further their knowledge of | | | | lymph glands. |
| the condition. | | | | If the cancer returns after the first treatment it can |
| Firstly, low risk localized cancer of the prostate is | | | | be treated with hormone therapy. If the initial |
| highly unlikely to develop or grow for years. Patients | | | | treatment was surgical then radiotherapy is unlikely. If |
| are usually offered active monitoring (or active | | | | it has spread then it cannot be cured however, with |
| surveillance) which keeps track of the tumor and its | | | | the use of hormone therapy to lower testosterone |
| development. However, sometimes symptoms of | | | | levels, it can be controlled. There are a lot of |
| prostate cancer are never caused because it | | | | treatments available for this and doctors will explain all |
| develops incredibly slowly. If it does start to develop, | | | | these at appointment. |
| then treatments for prostate cancer will likely be | | | | Different treatments come with different side |
| surgery to totally excise the prostate gland or | | | | effects, risks and benefits which medical |
| radiotherapy. | | | | professionals will explain in full before commencement |
| With intermediate risk the cancer can start to | | | | of treatment. |
| develop after a several years and so internal | | | | The prognosis depends on the grade and stage |
| radiotherapy (brachytherapy) or active monitoring are | | | | (Stage I to IV) of the cancer rather than the |
| likely to be offered plus surgery to excise the | | | | treatment choice. Men with slow growing, well |
| prostate gland or external radiotherapy to the | | | | differentiated, smaller tumors usually have the best |
| prostate. | | | | prognosis. The good news is that these comprise |
| High frequency ultrasound and cryotherapy may be | | | | around three quarters of tumors (stage I or II). |
| offered under clinical trials but they are not standard | | | | Staging means that the doctor 'stages' the cancer |
| treatments for prostate cancer. | | | | based on the character of its cells, the tumor size |
| High risk sufferers normally have surgical treatment | | | | and extent of metastasis. For this type of cancer, |
| for prostate gland removal or external radiotherapy | | | | two staging systems are used namely, TNM (tumor, |
| focused on the prostate. Internal radiotherapy is not | | | | node, metastases) system and the Jewett-Whitmore |
| normally used as, in high risk cases the cancer has | | | | system. |
| slightly spread and has grown through the capsule | | | | New clinical studies are improving prostate cancer |
| enclosing the prostate gland. So external radiotherapy | | | | treatment options and therefore the survival rate is |
| is used to make sure all the cells are reached. | | | | increasing all the time. |
| Surgery, radiotherapy are normally used in | | | | |