Medical Treatments for Prostate Cancer

There are many different medical treatments for prostate cancer that involve the clinical care of a healthcare professional. These treatments include expectant therapy, surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy. Expectant therapy is to carefully observe and monitor the prostate cancer. Because prostate cancer cells often spread very slowly, many older men who have the disease may not need more extensive treatment. However, expectant therapy usually includes routine physician examinations, including digital rectal exams and PSA tests. The different types of surgery for prostate cancer are radical prostatectomy - an open-surgery procedure in which the entire prostate gland and surrounding tissue are removed. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) - surgery to remove part of the prostate gland that surrounds the urethra. Cryosurgery - this procedure involves killing the cancer cells by freezing them with a small metal tool placed in the tumor. Side effects of prostate cancer surgery include incontinence and impotence. Incontinence is the inability to control urine and may result in dribbling of urine, especially immediately after surgery. Normal control usually returns within weeks or months after surgery. Impotence is the inability to achieve an erection. For a month, or so, after surgery, most men are not able to get an erection. Eventually, approximately 40 to 60 percent of men will be able to get an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, but without ejaculation of semen, since removal of the prostate gland prevents that process.

Radiation therapy uses high energy rays to kill or shrink cancer cells, and to decrease their ability to divide. Radiation is often used to treat prostate cancer that is still confined to the prostate gland, or has spread only to nearby tissue. If the disease is advanced, radiation may be used to reduce the size of the tumor and to provide relief from symptoms. Possible side effects of radiation for prostate cancer may include diarrhea, with or without blood in the stool, and colitis, problems associated with urination, a degree of impotence (inability to get an erection), which may occur within two years of radiation therapy.

The goal of hormone therapy is to lower the level of male hormones in the body, particularly testosterone. Hormone therapy does not cure the cancer, and is often used to treat persons whose cancer has spread or recurred after treatment. Produced mainly in the testicles, testosterone causes prostate cancer cells to grow. Thus, reduced testosterone levels can make the prostate cancer shrink and become less active. Most studies show that hormone therapy works better if it is started early. Chemotherapy is the use of powerful, anti-cancer medications to kill cancer cells.. Hospitalization may be needed to monitor treatment and chemotherapy's side effects. Common side effects of chemotherapy include: nausea and vomiting, hair loss, anemia, reduced ability of blood to clot, mouth sores, increased likelihood of developing infections, fatigue. Most side effects disappear once treatment is stopped.

hormone therapy treatment prostate cancer
Hormone Treatment for Prostate Cancer - WebMD
Hormone treatment is primarily used if prostate cancer has spread outside the prostate. It does not cure cancer. The purpose of hormone therapy is first to

Prostate Cancer Hormone Therapy: Testosterone and Androgen Ablation
Some doctors believe intermittent therapy staves off the hormone refractory prostate cancer, which occurs when the disease stops responding to treatment and

Side effects of hormone therapy for prostate cancer
This page tells you about side effects of hormone therapy for prostate cancer. There are some side effects common to all hormone therapies used for prostate

What is hormone therapy?
This page is about hormone therapy for prostate cancer. These days, you are more likely to have drug based hormone treatment than surgery.

Prostate Cancer Treatment Options -- familydoctor.org
While prostate cancer usually responds to 1 or 2 years of hormone therapy, after some time most tumors start to grow again. Once this happens, the treatment

Prostate Cancer Info : education, support, male hormone therapy
Prostate cancer info on prostate cancer education, prostate cancer support, and prostate cancer diagnosis including male hormone therapy, antiandrogens,

Prostate Cancer Info : education, support, male hormone therapy
The types of hormonal therapy may be used in prostate cancer are . symptoms that are in fact due to treatment regimen. Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer

Hormone therapy: Cancer treatment for certain hormone-sensitive
How hormone therapy cancer treatment works. Specific types of tumors â” most commonly tumors of the breast and of the prostate â” rely on hormones such as

Hormonal therapy for early prostate cancer : Cancerbackup
In order to grow, prostate cancer depends on the hormone testosterone produced by the testicles. Treatment for locally-advanced prostate cancer

Prostate Cancer - Hormonal Therapy
Hormone treatment is also the principal therapy for metastatic prostate cancer when the prostate cancer cells have escaped from the prostate to grow in

ACS :: Hormone (Androgen Deprivation) Therapy
There are several types of hormone therapy used to treat prostate cancer. . Some studies have shown that hormone treatment may slow down the disease and


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