In 2020 alone, there were an estimated 191,930 newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer here in the United States. Once a man has a diagnosis of prostate cancer, he will have questions about treatment.
Let’s go over the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about prostate cancer treatment, and where you can go for an evaluation and possible treatment of your prostate health.
1. What Type of Treatment Will I Receive for Prostate Cancer?
Your doctor may suggest surgery, radiation therapy, or close monitoring if the cancer is detected early. Radiation therapy is an option for men whose prostate cancer has not spread outside of the prostate.
Radical prostatectomy, the whole removal of the prostate gland, is often advised for patients with advanced or very aggressive prostate cancer. Hormone therapy may be recommended for men with metastatic prostate cancer to slow the disease’s progression.
Your doctor will keep an eye on your prostate cancer to check whether it is progressing or has spread while you undergo surveillance (metastasizing). If cancer spreads, the doctor will advise treatment.
2. How Likely Is Treatment to Work?
Prostate cancer’s outlook is very bright in comparison to that of other common malignancies. Fortunately, up to 85 percent of prostate cancer cases are identified at a local or regional stage, when the disease is more amenable to treatment. The good news is that data show over 98% of men who have had prostate cancer survive five years after treatment.
3. What Type of Surgery Will I Need?
Your urologist may suggest a radical prostatectomy if your prostate cancer has spread significantly. This is performed using a laparoscopic technique that requires minimum incisions. A perineal prostatectomy is done only very seldom. The surgeon will create an incision between the scrotum and the anus to remove the prostate. Surgeons rarely resort to this method due to the increased risk of nerve damage and the inability to check for cancer metastases in nearby lymph nodes.
4. How Does Radiation Treat Prostate Cancer?
If you are too elderly for surgery or have other health issues, radiation may be a viable alternative.
A professional will focus one or more radiation beams on your tumor during radiation therapy. Internal DNA replication is disrupted by radiation. In this way, the cancer cells are stunted in their growth and eventually perish.
The optimal form of radiation therapy for you will be decided upon by your urologist. The physician might suggest 3D conformal radiotherapy or external beam radiation. Radiation seeds were once a common method of treating prostate cancer, but they have since gone out of favor due to the high rate of permanent side effects they cause and the fact that a prostatectomy is no longer an option for patients who have received radiation seeds.
5. Will I Need Chemotherapy?
If the cancer has gone beyond the prostate, chemotherapy may be an option. While it may not cure the cancer, it can extend life expectancy and enhance quality of life by reducing distressing side effects. After operation, a urologist may advise chemotherapy.
If you develop prostate cancer, you will want to have the best equipment and the most highly skilled urologist available to treat it.
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