There are a number of options when it comes to prostate cancer treatment, but which option is used will depend on a number of different factors including the stage and grade of the cancer as well as the age, health, and personal preferences of the men who suffer from it. Because prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men and the leading cause of cancer related deaths among men it is important that all men are regularly screened for it and are aware of the treatment options available to them.
Cancer occurs when cells of the prostate mutate and begin to multiply out of control. This can cause the prostate to enlarge, resulting in symptoms such as difficulty in urinating, frequent urination, and blood in the urine. Cancerous tumors can also metastasize and spread to other parts of the body through the circulatory system or lymph system where they can grow secondary tumors. Prostate cancer is usually staged according to the system known as TNM (tumor, node, metastasis), in which the cancer is characterized by its extent within the prostate gland itself (tumor or T stage), whether the lymph nodes in the region are involved with cancer (node or N stage), and whether the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body (metastasis or M stage).
Treatment for prostate cancer may involve watchful waiting, surgery, radiation therapy, High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), chemotherapy, cryosurgery, hormonal therapy, or some combination of these treatments. For tumors that are still inside the prostate, radiation therapy (using x-rays that kill the cancer cells) and a surgery called radical prostatectomy are common treatment options. There are two forms of radiation therapy that can be used; either by an external beam or interstitial implants known as seed therapy. There is usually more discomfort after this treatment and many men feel very tired at the end of the treatment period. About 15% to 30% of men who have radiation therapy have urinary burning, urinary bleeding, frequent urination, rectal bleeding, rectal discomfort or diarrhea during or shortly after the treatment.
"Watchful waiting" is also a treatment option. In this approach, no treatment is given until the tumor gets bigger. This is more normal with elderly men whom may not tolerate traditional treatments.
If the cancer has spread into the tissue surrounding the prostate gland treatment with hormone therapy is normally called for. This treatment helps to prevent the cancer from spreading any further and is standard treatment to prevent secondary tumors or cell metastasis.
Choosing a treatment for prostate cancer is not easy and will depend on a number of factors such as your age and whether the cancer has spread and if so, how far. After treatment for prostate cancer, your doctor will want to watch you carefully, checking to see if your cancer recurs or spreads further.
Selecting What Is Best
Being diagnosed with prostate cancer nowadays is by no means a death sentence however it is imperative that you get treatment without delay. There are a number of prostate cancer treatment options available and the best one for you will depend on your individual case. You need to speak with your oncologist and decide what you want to achieve from your prostate cancer treatment so that the right course of treatment can be selected for you.
You might want to consider taking a family member with you to your consultation so that they can ask any questions that you might forget because of the stress associated with the situation.
Ask your oncologist if he/she has any leaflets about the various prostate cancer treatments because as you go back over your conversation at a later date you will undoubtedly forget important aspects that require consideration. Also ask your oncologist to explain the different prostate cancer treatment options to you in easy terms. Medical jargon can be overwhelming and confusing to a stressed mind so try to make things as easy as possible.
Simply put there are three major forms of prostate cancer treatment; surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Hormone therapy is also often used as a complimentary therapy and any combination of the three main treatments can be used together or in conjunction with hormone therapy. The type of prostate cancer treatment that you receive will depend to a large extent on the cancer itself and how far it has progressed.
When the initial cancer spreads to the surrounding tissues and then to other sites in the body, the type of prostate cancer treatment used will become more palliative than curative i.e. the treatment will slow down the growth of the cancer and help control the side effects rather than actually curing the disease.
In addition factors such as your age, general health and what you want to achieve from the treatment will also be taken into consideration. The elderly may suffer from surgery much more than they would suffer with prostate cancer and so they may choose to do nothing except slow down the growth and spread of the disease. Younger men however may want to get rid of the cancer entirely and so opt for surgery and then probably radiation therapy to kill any remaining cancerous cells.
There are a lot of things to consider when you choose your form of prostate cancer treatment and the decision should not be rushed. Prostate cancer is one of the slow growing cancers and so a few weeks of deliberation will, in most cases, have no major effect on the size of your cancer or the symptoms experienced.
Cancer occurs when cells of the prostate mutate and begin to multiply out of control. This can cause the prostate to enlarge, resulting in symptoms such as difficulty in urinating, frequent urination, and blood in the urine. Cancerous tumors can also metastasize and spread to other parts of the body through the circulatory system or lymph system where they can grow secondary tumors. Prostate cancer is usually staged according to the system known as TNM (tumor, node, metastasis), in which the cancer is characterized by its extent within the prostate gland itself (tumor or T stage), whether the lymph nodes in the region are involved with cancer (node or N stage), and whether the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body (metastasis or M stage).
Treatment for prostate cancer may involve watchful waiting, surgery, radiation therapy, High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), chemotherapy, cryosurgery, hormonal therapy, or some combination of these treatments. For tumors that are still inside the prostate, radiation therapy (using x-rays that kill the cancer cells) and a surgery called radical prostatectomy are common treatment options. There are two forms of radiation therapy that can be used; either by an external beam or interstitial implants known as seed therapy. There is usually more discomfort after this treatment and many men feel very tired at the end of the treatment period. About 15% to 30% of men who have radiation therapy have urinary burning, urinary bleeding, frequent urination, rectal bleeding, rectal discomfort or diarrhea during or shortly after the treatment.
"Watchful waiting" is also a treatment option. In this approach, no treatment is given until the tumor gets bigger. This is more normal with elderly men whom may not tolerate traditional treatments.
If the cancer has spread into the tissue surrounding the prostate gland treatment with hormone therapy is normally called for. This treatment helps to prevent the cancer from spreading any further and is standard treatment to prevent secondary tumors or cell metastasis.
Choosing a treatment for prostate cancer is not easy and will depend on a number of factors such as your age and whether the cancer has spread and if so, how far. After treatment for prostate cancer, your doctor will want to watch you carefully, checking to see if your cancer recurs or spreads further.
Selecting What Is Best
Being diagnosed with prostate cancer nowadays is by no means a death sentence however it is imperative that you get treatment without delay. There are a number of prostate cancer treatment options available and the best one for you will depend on your individual case. You need to speak with your oncologist and decide what you want to achieve from your prostate cancer treatment so that the right course of treatment can be selected for you.
You might want to consider taking a family member with you to your consultation so that they can ask any questions that you might forget because of the stress associated with the situation.
Ask your oncologist if he/she has any leaflets about the various prostate cancer treatments because as you go back over your conversation at a later date you will undoubtedly forget important aspects that require consideration. Also ask your oncologist to explain the different prostate cancer treatment options to you in easy terms. Medical jargon can be overwhelming and confusing to a stressed mind so try to make things as easy as possible.
Simply put there are three major forms of prostate cancer treatment; surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Hormone therapy is also often used as a complimentary therapy and any combination of the three main treatments can be used together or in conjunction with hormone therapy. The type of prostate cancer treatment that you receive will depend to a large extent on the cancer itself and how far it has progressed.
When the initial cancer spreads to the surrounding tissues and then to other sites in the body, the type of prostate cancer treatment used will become more palliative than curative i.e. the treatment will slow down the growth of the cancer and help control the side effects rather than actually curing the disease.
In addition factors such as your age, general health and what you want to achieve from the treatment will also be taken into consideration. The elderly may suffer from surgery much more than they would suffer with prostate cancer and so they may choose to do nothing except slow down the growth and spread of the disease. Younger men however may want to get rid of the cancer entirely and so opt for surgery and then probably radiation therapy to kill any remaining cancerous cells.
There are a lot of things to consider when you choose your form of prostate cancer treatment and the decision should not be rushed. Prostate cancer is one of the slow growing cancers and so a few weeks of deliberation will, in most cases, have no major effect on the size of your cancer or the symptoms experienced.
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