Prostate Cancer Treatment
Prostate cancer treatment depends upon the age of the patient,the kind of the tumor, cause of tumor,stage of cancer, and spread of cancer.
The tumors that are only restricted to the prostate tissue (local), radiation therapy and radial prostectomy ( surgical removal of prostate) are the prostate cancer treatments of choice. Sometimes, in advanced cases (especially in cases where metastasis has occurred), the use of a combination of surgery and hormone therapy is the preferred prostate cancer treatment.
1. Watchful waiting - is a kind of prostate cancer treatment for old patients and are at high risk of getting other treatments.The doctor recommends for frequent and regular check-ups without giving any treatment and watches the progression or change of symptoms
2. Surgery-Following types of surgical treatments are in vogue:
Prostate Cancer Treatment
a) Radical prostectomy- In this surgical prostate cancer treatment, the whole prostate gland and the lymph nodes in that area are removed. The surgery is done under general anesthesia. After the removal of the prostate, the next step is to insert a catheter through the penile opening into the urinary bladder which carries urine until the area gets healed. This surgery can be done in two ways-
- Retropubic prostectomy- a cut is given by a surgeon in the abdominal wall.to remove the prostate and the adjacent lymph nodes.
- Perinial prostectomy-a cut is given in the perineum to remove the prostate and adjacent lymph nodes are by another incision in the abdomen.
b) Trans uretheral resection of the prostate(TURP)-An instrument called rectoscope which is a thin tube with a light and a sharp tool to cut, is inserted through the urethra and prostate tissue is removed. Before giving any prostate cancer treatment, this method is sometimes used and the prostate related symptoms get less aggressive. Also, where radial prostectomy is not advised, like in old people or in a patient who has another chronic illness, this method is often adopted by the physician.
3. Hormone therapy- Hormone therapy is another prostate cancer treatment that is used to decrease the level of male hormone testosterone , which helps prostate cancer to grow. This hormone is produced by testicles.Sometimes, surgical removal of testicles is done. In the absence of testosterone, prostate cancer shrinks.
The types of hormone therapy used in prostate cancer treatment can be of the following types:
Anti androgens
Luteinizing hormone-Releasing Hormone which stops the testicles from producing testosterone.
Estrogens, also stop the production of male hormones. These hormones are rarely used.
4. Radiation therapy- is further of two types:
External beam radiation therapy- energy X-rays are used in this treatment by a machine like an X-ray machine.and radiations are given directly in the cancer cells to cut their growth.
Radio active pellets- are injected into the prostate gland cancerous tissue.Radio active substances are sealed in seeds,needles, catheter and are then kept on the cancer cells . Also, called seed therapy.
In prostate cancer treatment, 50% of the patients ,after getting radiations nearly for 2 years, suffer from impotence.