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 prostate screening
The Cancer Council New South Wales :: Prostate Cancer Screening
Screening for prostate cancer - Who should be tested and information about the tests available.

Screening for Prostate Cancer: What's New From the USPSTF
The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to recommend for or against routine screening for prostate cancer using prostate specific antigen

Medicare.gov - Prostate Cancer Screening (PSA)
Prostate cancer can often be found early by testing the amount of PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) in your blood. Another way prostate cancer is found early

CLINICAL GUIDELINE: PART III: Screening for Prostate Cancer -- 126
Prostate cancer screening in the prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancer screening trial of the National Cancer Institute. J Urol.

Prostate Cancer Resources and Information | OncoLink
Prostate Cancer information including risk, prevention, screening, Another argument against prostate cancer screening is that it has never been proven

Screening for prostate cancer in the UK -- Donovan et al. 323
Screening for prostate cancer is controversial. Findings from systematic and other reviews consistently conclude that there is insufficient evidence to

Detection & Screening - Prostate Cancer Foundation
Screening & Diagnosis, Screening for prostate cancer can be performed quickly and easily in a physician?s office using two simple tests: the prostate

Prostate Cancer Risk Management
To date, prostate cancer screening fulfils only the first condition. See the Health Technology Assessment Programme's monograph Diagnosis, management and

Cancer - Prostate - Prostate Cancer Screening: A Decision Guide
Screening means looking for signs of disease in people who have no symptoms. So screening for prostate cancer is looking for early-stage disease when

Cancer - Prostate - Screening for Prostate Cancer: Sharing the
CDC has developed a Web-based slide presentation, Screening for Prostate Cancer: Sharing the Decision, to help physicians explain prostate cancer and

Prostate Cancer Screening - National Cancer Institute
Expert-reviewed information summary about tests used to detect or screen for prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer: Screening and Testing - National Cancer Institute
Check for prostate cancer screening trials from NCI's PDQ^ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry now accepting patients. The list of clinical trials can be

Screening for prostate cancer
This page tells you about screening for prostate cancer. There is information onThe aim of prostate cancer screeningThe PSA blood testScreening for prostate

When To Get Tested for Prostate Cancer - Prostate Cancer Screening
When should a man get tested for prostate cancer? This FAq addresses when to have a prostate exam and how often to have one performed.

Screening for Prostate Cancer
Little is known about the individual psychological burden involved in prostate cancer screening and decision-making regarding treatment .

ACS :: American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection
Cancer screening guidelines recommended for those people at average risk for and harms of early detection and treatment of prostate cancer so that they


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