Treatment For Prostate Cancer

Once a diagnosis of prostate cancer has been made, you will enter a time of trying to come to terms with that diagnosis. You will also need to talk to your doctor about what comes next. Some form of treatment will be offered to you, but the treatment you are offered could well depend on how far advanced your case of prostate cancer is.

The three main forms of treatment available are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. But you may find that if your own case of prostate cancer has been spotted at its earliest stage, you don’t have to have any treatment at all to start with.

Many people find this to be unusual – after all, with most cancers the idea is to tackle them as soon as possible so they do not get any bigger or spread to another part of the body. But with cancer of the prostate it can take a long time for it to start growing to the point where it becomes a concern. If your cancer is extremely slow growing you may simply have to have regular tests to keep an eye on it. This may in fact be all you need, depending on how old you are and how the cancer behaves.

If it is decided that treatment is needed, surgery is likely to be the first port of call if the cancer is contained inside the prostate itself. The prostate is a small gland and if the cancer has not gone outside of it then it will still be quite small. In this case surgical removal will rid you of the tumor and the gland itself.

However you will find that radiation therapy might still be offered even when surgery takes place. This will target the area concerned and ensure that any stray cells are not still hanging around. Needless to say, while a surgeon can see a tumor they cannot see individual cells as they are far too small. Radiotherapy can ensure that any of those cells are also got rid of.

Other treatments focus on the hormonal side of the illness. Cancer of the prostate uses testosterone to help it grow and develop. This is why removal of the testicles happens in some cases, because this means the testosterone levels in the body drop by a huge amount very quickly. If the cancer needs to be reduced and controlled as quickly as possible, it can be achieved by this operation. This doesn’t happen that often however.

Another type of treatment with regard to hormones is hormone therapy. The idea of this therapy is the same though – the levels of testosterone are reduced and the cancer shrinks and can be controlled. Depending on the doctor you see and what your own personal situation is with regard to your cancer, you may have hormone therapy alongside other treatments. Alternatively it could be given on its own.

Two other treatments which may be offered are radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It is possible to have both of these together, but a lot depends on what stage your cancer is at, how aggressively it needs to be treated, and a lot of other factors besides. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about any aspect of your treatment, talk to your doctor.

Treatments for cancer of the prostrate will differ between different patients. Some will need more treatment than others, while the duration of the treatment can also vary. The important thing to remember is that you will receive the best course of treatment for your own situation, so don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Each case is unique.

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