How to Choose the Best Treatment For Treating Prostate Cancer

If there is anything good about prostate cancer it would be that thanks to medical advancements in every aspect of the disease over the past few decades there is now an arsenal of diagnostic tests, treatments, and medications available that have greatly improved the success rate of treatment and extended the rates of survivability.

However, it must also be said that while extremely significant in both the detection and treatment of prostate cancer even the combination of all of the advances over the past 30 years do not equal a magic bullet capable of completely eliminating prostate cancer. In fact these advances are still very much intertwined with the individual characteristics of the patient and the state and grade of the cancer when it is first detected. And it is those things that actually determine what treatment or combination of treatments will be used.

For instance one of the most common treatments for prostate cancer is surgery, usually involving the removal of the prostate gland, but also when indicated in some cases the surgical removal of the testicles to slow the pace of the disease. Radical prostatectomy involves the surgical removal of the prostate gland. This is an effective treatment when the patient is not too elderly, in relatively good physical condition, and the cancer has not spread. This may not be the best treatment, however, for much older men when the pain, suffering and recovery might be too great and there is little hope of significant improvement.

In some instances a much less invasive form of surgery known as Cryosurgery provides another option that is suitable for a wider range of ages and physical conditions. Cryosurgery is actually a process where extremely cold temperatures are used tofreeze the prostrate as a means of removal. Known as transurethral resection the procedure relieves the pain from urinary blockage.

Orchiectomy, another surgical procedure, is a treatment that involves surgically removing the testicles. Testosterone, which is produced in the testicles, fuels the growth of prostate cancer and this procedure dramatically reduces testosterone levels. There are, however, hormone treatments which have also proven to be as effective at reducing testosterone levels.

The primary reason for stressing the importance of routine doctor visits, and regular prostrate tests, is to preserve the advantages of early detection which can be critical for two reasons. One reason is that more treatment options are available in the early stages. The other reason though is that treatment options narrow after the cancer has spread and must be treated larger areas. In those cases radiation therapy will be needed such as External beam radiation therapy which involves procedures not much different than the x-rays taken by doctors and dentists with the exception that the amount of radiation and concentration of it is much greater, and the exposure times are much longer.

Chemical treatments are another option for prostate cancer patients. Hormone therapy can reduce levels of testosterone as effectively as Orchiectomy and LHRH (luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone) therapy also reduces testosterone when it is injected over on a monthly or quarterly basis. These new advances join Chemotherapy treatments in the expanded array of treatments.

Chemotherapy is especially effective when the cancer has spread and hormone therapy has not provided the desired results. The drawback of chemotherapy, however, is finding the balance between killing cancerous cells without killing too many healthy cells in the process. And chemotherapy can often result in the well known side effects of nausea and hair loss, as well as causing heart problems in some patients.

But one thing that must be acknowledged is despite these advances prostate cancer remains a debilitating and deadly disease that has few symptoms in the early stages and strikes an estimated 180,000 US men annually. What that statistic really says is for all that medical science can do for prostate cancer patients today, it is still less than the patient can do for themselves, by staying informed, making healthy lifestyle choices, and being proactive when it comes to regular checkups and tests.

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