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 score for prostate cancer
What is the Gleason score of prostate cancer? - Yahoo! Answers
A friend has a Gleason score of 5 prostate cancer.

Improved Accuracy for Predicting the Gleason Score of Prostate
Improved Accuracy for Predicting the Gleason Score of Prostate Cancer by Increasing the Number of Transrectal Biopsy Cores

Prostate Cancer, The Cancer Information Network
Prostate Cancer Resource Guide - The American Foundation for Urologic Disease . information on prognosis by analyzing stage, PSA, and Gleason score.

IngentaConnect Should Gleason score 7 prostate cancer be
Should Gleason score 7 prostate cancer be considered a unique grade category? - the John Hopkins experience after 10 years

Prostate Cancer: Gleason grade
The vast majority of prostate cancers are Gleason grade 6 -7, or moderate. It is virtually impossible to make a diagnosis of Grades 2 to 4 on needle biopsy.

Prostate Cancer symptoms treatment information cure prevention
AICR answers some of your Frequently Asked Questions regarding prostate cancer symptoms, treatment, information, and research.

Prostate Cancer Gleason Score
the gleason score is helpful in classifying the stage and grade of prostate cancer.

Statistics and prognosis for prostate cancer
This is called the grade of your cancer. In prostate cancer, this is recorded as your Gleason score. A Gleason score of 2, 3 or 4 indicates a low grade

Prostate cancer guide - MayoClinic.com
Gleason score at diagnosis, Cancer characteristics, Deaths from prostate cancer. 2 to 4, Tends to be slow growing, 6 deaths per 1000 men

Grading | Prostate Cancer Information | UPMC Cancer Centers
Prostate cancers often have areas with different grades. A combined Gleason score is determined by adding the grades from the two most common cancer cell

Biopsy, Gleason and Your Prostate
Biopsy and related tests to find out if you have prostate cancer and what A Gleason score (or sum) of 3 + 4 = 7 is a different grade of cancer than 4 +

Gleason Grading, Understanding it, from the Prostate Cancer
In general, the time for which a patient is likely to survive following a diagnosis of prostate cancer is related to the Gleason score.

Gleason Grading of Prostate Cancer Illustrated Phoenix5
The most widely used grading method for prostate cancer is known as the Gleason grading system (see Gleason Scores, page 7).

ACS :: How Is Prostate Cancer Diagnosed?
A core needle biopsy is the main method used to diagnose prostate cancer. The higher your Gleason score, the more likely it is that your cancer will

ACS :: How Is Prostate Cancer Staged?
The overall stage takes all 3 categories into account, along with the Gleason score (described in the section, "How Is Prostate Cancer Diagnosed?").

Gleason Score: A Significant Biologic Manifestation of Prostate
The Gleason score, the most widespread method of prostate cancer tissue grading used today, is the single most important prognostic factor in PC.1-7 It is

Glossary of Prostate Cancer Related Terms, G - Prostate Cancer
Gleason grade: a widely used method for classifying prostate cancer tissue Gleason score: two Gleason Grade numbers are added together to produce the

Gleason Score Uses Prostate Cancer Cells to Determine Prostate
the prostate cancer Gleason score indicates aggressiveness and is obtained from two Gleason grades.

Prostate Cancer Treatment - National Cancer Institute
Prostate cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the The Gleason score ranges from 2-10 and describes how likely it is that a


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