HOW IS PROSTATE CANCER TREATED?

• Radiation Therapy: Utilizing high-energy beams, radiation therapy targets cancer cells. This option is ideal for early-stage prostate cancer that has not spread beyond the gland and can also be used post-surgery.
• External Beam Radiation: Delivered from outside the body.
• Internal (Brachytherapy): Utilizes tiny radioactive seeds placed near the cancer.
• Active Surveillance (Watchful Waiting): Monitoring the tumor’s progression before initiating treatment is often a viable option. This approach recognizes that many prostate cancers progress slowly and may not necessitate immediate intervention.
• Surgery: Surgery may be recommended for cases where the tumor is confined to the prostate or its immediate vicinity.
• Radical Prostatectomy: Removes the entire prostate gland, occasionally including seminal vesicles.
• Pelvic Lymphadenectomy: A procedure performed prior to radical prostatectomy to assess if more extensive surgery is required. Lymph nodes are removed and biopsied for potential cancer cells.

ADVANCED TREATMENT APPROACHES

• Chemotherapy: Employing potent drugs to target the tumor, chemotherapy is often used in conjunction with other treatments. It is systematic and impacts the entire body.
• Cryotherapy or Cryosurgery: A procedure that freezes and destroys cancer cells.
• High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound: Uses non-ionizing ultrasonic waves to ablate tissue and destroy tumors.
• Hormone Therapy: Deprives cancer cells of the male hormones they depend on for growth.
• Immunotherapy: Boosts the body’s immune system to target and destroy cancer cells.
• Proton Beam Radiation: Utilizes protons to target cancer cells more precisely than traditional X-ray radiation.
• Bisphosphonate Therapy: Administers drugs to combat cancer that has spread to the bones.

ARE THERE SIDE EFFECTS?

Unfortunately, yes. Prostate cancer treatments have side effects, can include:

• Bowel issues.
• Low libido.
• Erectile dysfunction.
• Impotence.
• Urine incontinence or frequent urination.