Your doctor may use one or more of the following methods – surgery, hormone treatment, radiation and anti-cancer drugs. The choice depends on the stage of the cancer, your age and other medical co-morbidities.
Radical prostatectomy is used to treat cancer localized in the prostate and involves complete removal of the prostate. Often the pelvic lymph nodes are removed as well.
Radiation therapy uses high energy x-ray beam to kill cancer cells. Radiation may be given from a machine located outside the body (external radiation therapy), or from a radioactive substance introduced directly into the tumour. Sometimes a combination of these methods is used.
Both surgery and radiation provide excellent 10-year survival rates. Your doctor can help advise you about the best treatment for your cancer.
Hormonal therapy is used to treat prostate cancer which has spread beyond the prostate. The 2 basic techniques involve:
- drugs that prevent the release or counter the action of male hormones
- surgical removal of the testicles, which make the male hormones. Because male hormones stimulate the growth of prostate cancer, treatments that interfere with the effect of these hormones can slow the cancer’s growth, sometimes dramatically. Occasionally, chemotherapy is used.
Watchful waiting has also been advocated as a reasonable approach for some men with prostate cancer. Not all men diagnosed with the disease require immediate treatment. Some cancers grow slowly and may take 10 years or more to cause problems or to spread. Immediate treatment may not be necessary for men with an early-stage cancer whose age or general health make it unlikely that they will live at least 8 to 10 years.
- Side effects of treatment
Surgical treatment of prostate cancer raises many questions about a man’s ability to remain sexually active. For some men, changes including impotence may be temporary but for others, these problems may be permanent. Urinary incontinence
may be present.
During radiation therapy, patients may notice a number of side effects, which usually disappear when treatment ends. For example, patients may have skin reactions (redness, dryness or wetness) in the area being treated, and they may feel unusually tried. Patients also may have diarrhea and frequent and uncomfortable urination. Some patients are impotent after radiation therapy.
Hormone therapy also may cause side effects. Female hormones (estrogen) may cause breast tenderness and enlargement, nausea, vomiting and water retention. High doses of estrogen also increase the risk of heart problems. Sexual desire and impotence.
The side effects of chemotherapy depend on the drugs given and the response of the individual patient. Chemotherapy commonly affects hair cells, blood-forming cells, and cells lining the digestive tract. As a result, patients may have side effects such as hair loss, lowered blood counts, nausea, or vomiting. Most side effects end after the treatment is over.
- Your future after treatment for prostate cancer: After treatment for prostate cancer, you should continue to visit your doctor for regular checkups. At various times after your treatment, your doctor will examine you and perform various tests to determine whether any further treatment is necessary. The PSA test has proved to be particularly useful in monitoring the response of prostate cancer to treatment.