Your Prostate - Treatments

If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, your doctor or urologist should have told you about all the options open to you. However, we know from experience that many newly diagnosed men are not given as much detail as they need in order to make a decision about which path to follow. If you are in any doubt about your treatment, investigate all avenues, and don't be afraid to ask for a second opinion. Whilst there is not an exhaustive list of treatments on this site, there are a great many places that you can now get advice about all the treatments on offer, and although it can be a daunting task wading through all the information, they say that knowledge is power!

www.cancerhelp.org.uk is another place to look for more detailed information on what is current, and also what is new in prostate cancer treatment.

So, what are the most common treatments on offer?

Active Surveillance

Many Doctors believe that if you have low grade prostate cancer, the best form of action is active surveillance, as the side effects of treatment can be worse than any symptoms you may suffer. However, if you are in any doubt about this as a form of treatment, make sure you ask about other alternatives.

Prostatectomy

Radical prostatectomy is the surgical removal of the prostate. This procedure is often performed when the cancer hasn't spread through the covering of the prostate gland. This procedure can be done via keyhole surgery, allowing for a much smaller wound, and potentially a faster recovery. As with many surgical procedures there can be side effects, including incontinence and impotence.

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy can be applied, focusing x-rays into the area for up to 2 months. As with many of the older treatments for prostate cancer, there can be side effects, and your Urologist can explain these in more detail.

Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is the insertion of small radioactive seeds, implanted under general anaesthetic, directly into the prostate gland. The radioactivity lasts long enough to destroy the malignant growth before dying down. Again there can be side effects with this treatment, although they are often less than other forms of treatment.

For more information about Brachytherapy from the Prostate Brachytherapy Advisory Group click here>

Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy is sometimes used in conjunction with surgery or radiotherapy, and can also be used if you are not well enough to have surgery. This treatment does help to control the cancer.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is generally only used to treat prostate cancer that has spread outside of the prostate.  There are a number of chemotherapy drugs that can be used, but the most effective is Docetaxel (Taxotere) which is also used in the treatment of breast cancer.

Taxotere was approved by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) in June 2006, for advanced prostate cancer that is not responding to hormone therapy.  Your Oncologist/Urologist should be able to give you more information on this treatment option, and whether it is suitable for your treatment.  

The Way Forward

There is more feeling now that cancer in the prostate should be treated similarly to breast cancer, that is, instead of treating the prostate as a whole, to just target the cancerous cells.

NEXT >