Being diagnosed with prostate cancer can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, there is encouraging news: most men have effective options available to them. In fact, prostate cancer, when caught early, usually responds well to care. Today, a wide range of prostate cancer treatment options gives men hope.
8 Prostate Cancer Treatment Options
There are several prostate cancer treatment options available. Doctors consider how far the cancer has spread and its aggressiveness before recommending a treatment plan.
1. Active surveillance and watchful waiting
Some prostate cancers grow so slowly that immediate treatment may not be needed.
Active surveillance involves regular PSA tests, exams, and sometimes MRIs or biopsies, with the plan to treat if the cancer begins to grow.
Watchful waiting is less intensive and focuses on symptom relief.
2. Surgery
Surgical removal of the prostate, known as a prostatectomy, can be a curative treatment for cancer that has not spread. Advances in surgical techniques, including minimally invasive and robotic approaches, can improve precision and recovery times.
3. Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams to target and destroy cancer cells. It can be delivered from outside the body (external beam radiation) or through tiny radioactive seeds placed directly into the prostate (brachytherapy). Both methods are proven, effective options for men with localized prostate cancer.
4. Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy lowers or blocks testosterone, a hormone that fuels prostate cancer growth. It can be used alone or in combination with other treatments to slow the cancer’s progress and help shrink tumors.
5. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses medicines that travel through the body to target rapidly growing cancer cells. It is often recommended when prostate cancer has spread or when other treatments are no longer working. This gives men another option for continued care.
6. Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy helps the body’s own defenses recognize and fight prostate cancer. Some treatments are customized from your own immune cells. Others use medicines that support the immune system to attack cancer more effectively.
7. Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy is guided by genetic testing of the tumor or blood. If specific changes, such as BRCA mutations, are present, medicines called PARP inhibitors can be used to block cancer cells’ repair mechanisms. This makes it harder for them to survive and grow.
8. Focal therapy
Focal therapy is a treatment approach that targets only cancer inside the prostate. Methods like heating or freezing destroy the tumor while leaving healthy tissue alone. The goal is to control the cancer and lower the chance of side effects.
Learn More About Your Prostate Cancer Treatment Options
With so many prostate cancer treatment options available today, men with prostate cancer have hope in fighting back. Partnering with an expert urologist can help you get the best plan tailored to your situation.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, don't delay - schedule an appointment today!
Related:
- How Can You Tell If You Have Prostate Cancer?
- Metastatic Prostate Cancer: What You Should Know
- 10 Signs of Prostate Cancer You Shouldn't Ignore
- Prostate Cancer Causes: Separating Fact from Fiction