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.

gleason 6 prostate
Prostate cancers scored as Gleason 6 in prostate biopsy are
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who treat people with cancer.

ANZ Journal of Surgery - Fulltext: Volume 73(9) September 2003 p
Purpose The optimal management of patients with minimal biopsy involvement Gleason score 6 prostate cancer in their prostate biopsies remains unclear.

Gleason Score: A Significant Biologic Manifestation of Prostate
The majority of men present with either GS 6 (48%) or GS 7 (33%) prostate cancer. There are a relatively small number (2%) of men with low Gleason score

UroToday - EAU 2007 ABST1014 - Pathological Features of Gleason
EAU 2007 ABST1014 - Pathological Features of Gleason Score 6 Prostate Cancers in the Low and in the Intermediate TPSA Range: Is There a Difference?

Digital Atlas of Prostate Pathology - Prostate Adenocarcinoma
Digital Atlas of Prostate Pathology · Adenocarcinoma. Prostate Adenocarcinoma, Gleason 3+3=6. Prostate Adenocarcinoma

International braz j urol - Intraoperative cell salvage during
His pathology revealed a pT2b prostate cancer, Gleason 6 with negative margins. His pathology revealed a small focus of Gleason 6 prostate cancer,

Meet The Professors - Prostate 1 | 2007
Case 4 from the practice of Martin K Dineen, MD: A 66-year-old man with a PSA level of 7 was diagnosed with Gleason 6 prostate cancer and treated with EBRT

Limitations of biopsy Gleason grade: implications for counseling
PURPOSE: We examined the implications of underestimating Gleason score by prostate biopsy in patients with biopsy Gleason 6 prostate cancer with respect to

Prostate cancers scored as Gleason 6 on prostate biopsy are
PURPOSE: Differentiation between Gleason score 6 and 7 in prostate biopsy is important for treatment decision making. Nevertheless, under grading errors

Gleason Grading, Understanding it, from the Prostate Cancer
Understanding Gleason Grading, from Prostate Cancer Infolink web site, has a Gleason grade of 2 and the secondary pattern has a grade of 3, or 6 (3 + 3)

Robotic Prostatectomy, BPH, Minimally Invasive Prostate Therapy
Patients with significant, curable prostate cancer, e.g. those with at least 3 mm of Gleason 6 cancer, or any amount of Gleason 7 or greater tumors are

Medscape Urology Journal Scan: June 2004
This study by Sved and colleagues focused specifically on Gleason grade 6 prostate cancers seen on biopsy in the attempt to assess the degree of

Finasteride as a Chemopreventive Agent in Prostate Cancer
The decrease in prevalence of prostate cancer seen in men in the finasteride arm of the PCPT primarily relates to Gleason 6 cancer, because the prevalence

Large Cryo Trial
Cryoablation Comparable to Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer . Low risk was defined as T2a or lower, PSA of 10or less, Gleason 6 or less (25% of

Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases - Watchful waiting for
At 15 years follow-up, they found the chances of dying from prostate cancer was 4â“7% for Gleason 2â“4 cancers, 6â“11% for Gleason 5, 18â“30% for Gleason 6,

The Journal of Urology : Prostate Cancers Scored as Gleason 6 on
Prostate Cancers Scored as Gleason 6 on Prostate Biopsy are Frequently Gleason 7 Tumors at Radical Prostatectomy: Implication on Outcome

Gleason Grade - the Pathology Report
Prostate cancer is a malignant growth originating in the cells of the prostate Moderately well differentiated cancers with a Gleason grade of 5 or 6 may

Virgil's Prostate On-Line
A Prostate Cancer survivor's guide for patients, families and In contrast, Gleason 6 patients survived 16 years and Gleason 4-5 for 20 years.


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