Cancer is a disease caused by abnormal cell growth. Sometimes cancerous cells form in tissues making up the prostate, which is a male reproductive gland located in the lower abdominal area. Statistics show that 20 percent of adult males in the United States will develop this disease but it is usually not life threatening, especially with early diagnosis and treatment. Men diagnosed with this condition need to find out more about effective prostate cancer treatment options.
Many factors will determine how the physician chooses to treat a patient with this disease. The patient's overall health, as well as age, may affect the healthcare professional's decision. The physician factors in whether the diagnosis is new or the disease is recurring. The physician will inform the patient about all the possible and expected side effects of each treatment.
If a screening test reveals this condition in older men who are not experiencing symptoms, the physician will monitor the patient closely without treatment until the condition changes. Waiting for symptoms to show before treating is known as watchful waiting. Active surveillance is monitoring a patient with regular testing. Test results alert the patient and his physician if the disease starts to get worse or spread.
Some patients are treated with minimally invasive techniques while others require surgery. Blocking the actions of various male hormones is sometimes effective for slowing or stopping the growth of cancerous tissue. An extreme form of hormone therapy involves removing the testicles, which are responsible for producing the majority of the body's supply of testosterone. Oral medications may be prescribed to inhibit the action of certain androgens.
Surgery is an option if the disease is confined to the prostate gland and the man is in good health otherwise. The surgeon may remove the entire gland or targeted tissues. In some cases, the surgery includes removal of the lymph nodes.
Radiation may be used to kill the cancerous cells or retard their growth. Radiation may be delivered to the gland from an external machine. Some radiation machines use a 3-D image of the tumor to conform the radiation beams into a shape that matches the tumor. Internal radiation therapy is a technique physicians use to implant radioactive seeds directly into the affected tissue through a needle. If the disease has spread to the bones, the physician injects the patient with radium-223, a radioactive substance that seeks out cancer cells in bone and kills them.
Chemotherapy is a treatment method that patients may receive orally or through injections. Chemical cocktails inhibit new growth and kill diseased tissue. Physicians may inject the chemicals into muscles, veins, or the cerebral spinal fluid.
Other methods are being studied in clinical trials. Cryotherapy utilizes freezing temperatures to destroy diseased cells. Another treatment showing some promise is high-intensity focused ultrasound delivered via an endorectal probe. Proton beam radiation therapy is a type of external radiation therapy that bombards tumors with a proton stream to destroy them. Patients and their physicians will decide what best fits the individual's physical condition and lifestyle.
Many factors will determine how the physician chooses to treat a patient with this disease. The patient's overall health, as well as age, may affect the healthcare professional's decision. The physician factors in whether the diagnosis is new or the disease is recurring. The physician will inform the patient about all the possible and expected side effects of each treatment.
If a screening test reveals this condition in older men who are not experiencing symptoms, the physician will monitor the patient closely without treatment until the condition changes. Waiting for symptoms to show before treating is known as watchful waiting. Active surveillance is monitoring a patient with regular testing. Test results alert the patient and his physician if the disease starts to get worse or spread.
Some patients are treated with minimally invasive techniques while others require surgery. Blocking the actions of various male hormones is sometimes effective for slowing or stopping the growth of cancerous tissue. An extreme form of hormone therapy involves removing the testicles, which are responsible for producing the majority of the body's supply of testosterone. Oral medications may be prescribed to inhibit the action of certain androgens.
Surgery is an option if the disease is confined to the prostate gland and the man is in good health otherwise. The surgeon may remove the entire gland or targeted tissues. In some cases, the surgery includes removal of the lymph nodes.
Radiation may be used to kill the cancerous cells or retard their growth. Radiation may be delivered to the gland from an external machine. Some radiation machines use a 3-D image of the tumor to conform the radiation beams into a shape that matches the tumor. Internal radiation therapy is a technique physicians use to implant radioactive seeds directly into the affected tissue through a needle. If the disease has spread to the bones, the physician injects the patient with radium-223, a radioactive substance that seeks out cancer cells in bone and kills them.
Chemotherapy is a treatment method that patients may receive orally or through injections. Chemical cocktails inhibit new growth and kill diseased tissue. Physicians may inject the chemicals into muscles, veins, or the cerebral spinal fluid.
Other methods are being studied in clinical trials. Cryotherapy utilizes freezing temperatures to destroy diseased cells. Another treatment showing some promise is high-intensity focused ultrasound delivered via an endorectal probe. Proton beam radiation therapy is a type of external radiation therapy that bombards tumors with a proton stream to destroy them. Patients and their physicians will decide what best fits the individual's physical condition and lifestyle.
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