Prostate Cancer - What Are the Treatment Options?
Prostate cancer treatment used may be different in each case. The treatment that is right for you is very dependent on how far advanced the cancer is and also on personal issues and lifestyle changes the treatment may bring about. All options for prostate treatment should be discussed thoroughly with your doctor.
Radiation
There are two types of radiation that can be used for prostate cancer treatment: external radiation and internal (or interstitial) radiation. Treatment with interstitial radiation that is applied from within the damaged tissue is known as brachytherapy. With brachytherapy, a photon, neutron, or proton beams is projected into the prostate gland. This type of radiation is effective because it damages the DNA of cancerous cells.
External radiation is better known as radiotherapy and has been in use longer than brachytherapy. High-energy waves aimed at the targeted area in order to damage the cancerous DNA cells.
Surgery
The surgery used for prostate cancer treatment is a prostatectomy. This prostate treatment is very invasive, but is one of the oldest treatments for prostate cancer. The concept is to “remove the cancerous organ to treat the patient”. This surgery is only helpful for someone in whom the cancer has not spread beyond the prostate gland.
Chemotherapy
Prostate cancer cells grow very slowly and because chemotherapy destroys healthy cells as well as cancerous cells, chemotherapy is not usually effective as a prostate cancer treatment. Chemotherapy is only used when more than one other prostate treatment has failed.
Other Treatment Options
Other treatments for prostate cancer include Cryotherapy, which freezes the cancerous cells rather than radiates them. Hormone therapy is also sometimes used. This type of treatment removes the testosterone from the body in order to slow down or stop the growth of cancer cells.