Talk to Your Doctor About Prostate Cancer Treatment Options

Prostrate cancer should be a real concern for all men because early detection is the best indicator of successful treatment. And, as men age, checkups and tests become even more important because the disease hits men in their early 70’s most frequently. But as frightening as this disease can be the advances of the past 30 years have brought new treatments that can be tailored to the individual’s age and condition.

Key factors of course are the age and condition of the patient which determine what treatments have the best chance of success. With early detection 99% of patients live more than five years after diagnosis and treatments extend life by five years or more in 75% of prostate cancer patients.

An arsenal of treatments are available to patients depending on the patient’s age, general health, the stage the cancer is in, the grade, and of course the patient’s personal preferences. Each treatment has advantages and disadvantages that must considered. It can’t be denied that prostate cancer can be an end of life disease and the pain and discomfort caused by some procedures might not be worth enduring when there is little or no chance those treatments will be successful.

Surgical options available to men included removal of the prostate gland in a procedure called a radical prostatectomy. This is an effective treatment when the cancer has not spread beyond the prostate. If the cancer has spread there are other treatments that don’t require the pain and recovery period that invasive surgery causes.

Advances in recent years have made Cryosurgery another option. This procedure, known as a transurethral resection, actually freezes the tumor and relieves the pain from urinary blockage. The procedure is less invasive, making this treatment appropriate for a wider range of older men.

Orchiectomy is another surgical option where the testicles are removed. The procedure substantially lowers testosterone levels which fuel prostate cancer. Orchiectomy is effective and has few complications although hormone treatments have been shown to reduce testosterone levels just as effectively.

When surgical procedures are not the best option radiation therapies are non-invasive and effective killing or shrinking tumors. Radiation therapy can also be used to treat cancer that has spread beyond the prostate.

External beam radiation therapy involves procedures not much different than the x-rays taken by doctors and dentists. The exception is the amount of concentrated radiation and longer exposure time. These treatments are outpatient and performed daily for several weeks.

Advances in chemical treatments have also presented new options for prostate cancer patients. Hormone therapy lowers testosterone to slow the progression and is also beneficial when the cancer has spread beyond the prostate. The procedure has proven to be as effective as Orchiectomy

LHRH (luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone) is a chemical that reduces testosterone when it is injected over a period of monthly or sometimes even quarterly treatments because it mimics a hormone produced by the brain that regulates testosterone.

And Chemotherapy remains especially effective when the cancer has spread and hormone therapy has not provided the desired results. Chemotherapy kills both cancerous and non-cancerous cells so the treatment must be balanced and slow the pace of the disease. The treatment of course has the well known side effects, nausea and hair loss, as well as heart problems in some patients,

Knowledge of these different treatment approaches for prostate cancer can help men be more informed but it does not replace regular checkups, face to face discussion with a doctor, asking questions, and remembering the advantages of early detection.

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