Medical Treatments for Prostate Cancer

There are many different medical treatments for prostate cancer that involve the clinical care of a healthcare professional. These treatments include expectant therapy, surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy. Expectant therapy is to carefully observe and monitor the prostate cancer. Because prostate cancer cells often spread very slowly, many older men who have the disease may not need more extensive treatment. However, expectant therapy usually includes routine physician examinations, including digital rectal exams and PSA tests. The different types of surgery for prostate cancer are radical prostatectomy - an open-surgery procedure in which the entire prostate gland and surrounding tissue are removed. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) - surgery to remove part of the prostate gland that surrounds the urethra. Cryosurgery - this procedure involves killing the cancer cells by freezing them with a small metal tool placed in the tumor. Side effects of prostate cancer surgery include incontinence and impotence. Incontinence is the inability to control urine and may result in dribbling of urine, especially immediately after surgery. Normal control usually returns within weeks or months after surgery. Impotence is the inability to achieve an erection. For a month, or so, after surgery, most men are not able to get an erection. Eventually, approximately 40 to 60 percent of men will be able to get an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, but without ejaculation of semen, since removal of the prostate gland prevents that process.

Radiation therapy uses high energy rays to kill or shrink cancer cells, and to decrease their ability to divide. Radiation is often used to treat prostate cancer that is still confined to the prostate gland, or has spread only to nearby tissue. If the disease is advanced, radiation may be used to reduce the size of the tumor and to provide relief from symptoms. Possible side effects of radiation for prostate cancer may include diarrhea, with or without blood in the stool, and colitis, problems associated with urination, a degree of impotence (inability to get an erection), which may occur within two years of radiation therapy.

The goal of hormone therapy is to lower the level of male hormones in the body, particularly testosterone. Hormone therapy does not cure the cancer, and is often used to treat persons whose cancer has spread or recurred after treatment. Produced mainly in the testicles, testosterone causes prostate cancer cells to grow. Thus, reduced testosterone levels can make the prostate cancer shrink and become less active. Most studies show that hormone therapy works better if it is started early. Chemotherapy is the use of powerful, anti-cancer medications to kill cancer cells.. Hospitalization may be needed to monitor treatment and chemotherapy's side effects. Common side effects of chemotherapy include: nausea and vomiting, hair loss, anemia, reduced ability of blood to clot, mouth sores, increased likelihood of developing infections, fatigue. Most side effects disappear once treatment is stopped.

cancer hormonal prostate survival therapy
National Prostate Cancer Coalition (NPCC)
Initial Hormone Therapy plus Radiation Improves Survival with Prostate Cancer Spread to Lymph Nodes CancerConsultants.com | 08.01.2006

News
Prostate Cancer Hormone Therapy Raises Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes âœMen with prostate cancer have high five-year survival rates, but they also

Short Course of Hormonal Therapy Improves Survival in Prostate
Short Course of Hormonal Therapy Improves Survival in Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with Radiation Therapy. Boston--August 2004, Harvard Medical School

Hormone therapy for localised prostate cancer : Cancerbackup
Discusses hormone therapy for early prostate cancer, However there is difficulty in demonstrating survival advantages from neoadjuvant hormonal therapy.

Prostate Cancer Info : education, support, male hormone therapy
Prostate cancer info on prostate cancer education, prostate cancer support, and prostate cancer diagnosis including male hormone therapy, antiandrogens,

National Prostate Cancer Coalition: Hormone Therapy May Fight
Hormone Therapy May Fight Localized Prostate Cancer of androgen (male hormone) deprivation therapy can improve survival by as much as 50 percent,

Just 4 months of hormone therapy can delay prostate cancer growth
Just 4 months of hormone therapy can delay prostate cancer growth by up to 8 disease-free survival (the percentage of men free of cancer at 10 years;

UCSF News Office - HORMONE THERAPY INCREASES SURVIVAL OF HIGH RISK
"Our study showed a 20 percent increase in survival after eight years for high risk prostate cancer patients who continued to receive hormonal therapy in

Beating Prostate Cancer with Hormonal Therapy - Prostate Cancer
Figure 2 shows the prostate cancer specific survival. Remember, all the men on this trial had #2 Hormonal Therapy Doesnâ™t Kill Prostate Cancer Cells

Prostate Cancer & Hormone Therapy
What can be expected after hormone therapy for prostate cancer? While hormonal therapy can put your Can prostate cancer be cured with hormonal therapy?

Hormone Therapy and Brachytherapy Survival Rates
The use of Hormone Therapy as prostate cancer treatment.

Just 4 months of hormone therapy can delay prostate cancer growth
PhysOrg news: Just 4 months of hormone therapy can delay prostate cancer growth disease-free survival (the percentage of men free of cancer at 10 years;

Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer Patients - National Cancer Institute
Hormone Therapy Increases Survival for Some Breast Cancer Patients. A drug commonly used for prostate cancer, buserelin, helped premenopausal women with

Just 4 Months Of Hormone Therapy Can Delay Prostate Cancer Growth
"This study demonstrates that the benefits of short-term hormonal therapy for men receiving radiation therapy for prostate cancer far outweigh the risks,"

Longer Hormone Therapy Doesn't Help Prostate Cancer Patients Live
6, 2006) â” Prostate cancer patients treated with either radiation or surgery who use hormone therapy for longer than six months do not survive any longer

Short-term hormone therapy slows prostate cancer | Science
Short-term hormone therapy slows prostate cancer The overall survival rates after 10 years were 43 percent with the combination regimen and 34 percent

National Library for Health - News & RSS Article
Hormone therapy could cure prostate cancer, reported two newspapers (6 August survival in men with poor-prognosis, non-metastatic prostate cancer when

ACS :: Prostate Cancer Hormone Therapy May Have Unwelcome Side Effects
He said hormone therapy can do a lot to improve prostate cancer survival, but that benefit needs to be weighed against the risk of a man developing other

ACS :: Brief Hormone Therapy Boosts Prostate Cancer Survival
A short course of hormone therapy may help some men survive prostate cancer longer.


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