Cancer is a disease caused by abnormal cell growth. Sometimes cancerous cells form in tissues making up the prostate, which is a male reproductive gland located in the lower abdominal area. Statistics show that 20 percent of adult males in the United States will develop this disease but it is usually not life threatening, especially with early diagnosis and treatment. Men diagnosed with this condition need to find out more about effective prostate cancer treatment options.
A qualified physician will choose a treatment based on several factors, including the results of a physical examination. Different treatments are effective depending on whether the cancer is recurring or the physician has just diagnosed the disease. The disease's stage of development, the patient's age, and any other health concerns go into deciding the best course of action.
If a screening test reveals this condition in older men who are not experiencing symptoms, the physician will monitor the patient closely without treatment until the condition changes. Waiting for symptoms to show before treating is known as watchful waiting. Active surveillance is monitoring a patient with regular testing. Test results alert the patient and his physician if the disease starts to get worse or spread.
Some patients are treated with minimally invasive techniques while others require surgery. Blocking the actions of various male hormones is sometimes effective for slowing or stopping the growth of cancerous tissue. An extreme form of hormone therapy involves removing the testicles, which are responsible for producing the majority of the body's supply of testosterone. Oral medications may be prescribed to inhibit the action of certain androgens.
If the disease has not yet spread from the gland, surgical removal of all or part of the gland is an option. The surgeon may remove nearby lymph nodes, seminal vesicles, and tissue surrounding the prostate at the same time. Various surgical techniques are used depending on the procedure's scope and goal.
Radiation may be used to kill the cancerous cells or retard their growth. Radiation may be delivered to the gland from an external machine. Some radiation machines use a 3-D image of the tumor to conform the radiation beams into a shape that matches the tumor. Internal radiation therapy is a technique physicians use to implant radioactive seeds directly into the affected tissue through a needle. If the disease has spread to the bones, the physician injects the patient with radium-223, a radioactive substance that seeks out cancer cells in bone and kills them.
Chemotherapy attacks growth with drugs taken orally or injected into muscles or veins. Sometimes the physician injects the drugs into the cerebrospinal fluid or delivers it directly to the affected organ. The method of delivery and drugs used depend on the stage and type of cancer the physician is treating.
Patients and their doctors should discuss the various options, possible side effects, and lifestyle to decide on the best therapy. Some patients may be eligible to participate in clinical trials for newly developed therapies. High intensity ultrasound, cryotherapy, and proton beam radiation therapy are three methods of treatment under study by medical researchers. Patients may not be good candidates for trials but their physicians should be able to tell them about any studies they can apply for based on their diagnosis.
A qualified physician will choose a treatment based on several factors, including the results of a physical examination. Different treatments are effective depending on whether the cancer is recurring or the physician has just diagnosed the disease. The disease's stage of development, the patient's age, and any other health concerns go into deciding the best course of action.
If a screening test reveals this condition in older men who are not experiencing symptoms, the physician will monitor the patient closely without treatment until the condition changes. Waiting for symptoms to show before treating is known as watchful waiting. Active surveillance is monitoring a patient with regular testing. Test results alert the patient and his physician if the disease starts to get worse or spread.
Some patients are treated with minimally invasive techniques while others require surgery. Blocking the actions of various male hormones is sometimes effective for slowing or stopping the growth of cancerous tissue. An extreme form of hormone therapy involves removing the testicles, which are responsible for producing the majority of the body's supply of testosterone. Oral medications may be prescribed to inhibit the action of certain androgens.
If the disease has not yet spread from the gland, surgical removal of all or part of the gland is an option. The surgeon may remove nearby lymph nodes, seminal vesicles, and tissue surrounding the prostate at the same time. Various surgical techniques are used depending on the procedure's scope and goal.
Radiation may be used to kill the cancerous cells or retard their growth. Radiation may be delivered to the gland from an external machine. Some radiation machines use a 3-D image of the tumor to conform the radiation beams into a shape that matches the tumor. Internal radiation therapy is a technique physicians use to implant radioactive seeds directly into the affected tissue through a needle. If the disease has spread to the bones, the physician injects the patient with radium-223, a radioactive substance that seeks out cancer cells in bone and kills them.
Chemotherapy attacks growth with drugs taken orally or injected into muscles or veins. Sometimes the physician injects the drugs into the cerebrospinal fluid or delivers it directly to the affected organ. The method of delivery and drugs used depend on the stage and type of cancer the physician is treating.
Patients and their doctors should discuss the various options, possible side effects, and lifestyle to decide on the best therapy. Some patients may be eligible to participate in clinical trials for newly developed therapies. High intensity ultrasound, cryotherapy, and proton beam radiation therapy are three methods of treatment under study by medical researchers. Patients may not be good candidates for trials but their physicians should be able to tell them about any studies they can apply for based on their diagnosis.
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