Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer
Deciding on prostate cancer treatment can be difficult, partly because the options for prostate cancer treatment today are far better than they were 10 years ago but also because not enough reliable data are available on which to base the decisions. Accordingly, scientifically controlled, long-term studies are still needed to compare the benefits and risks of the various prostate cancer treatments.
To decide on prostate cancer treatment for an individual patient, doctors categorize prostate cancers as
- Organ-confined (localized to the gland),
- Locally advanced (a large prostate tumor or one that has spread only locally),
- Or metastatic (spread distantly or widely).
The treatment options for organ-confined prostate cancer or locally advanced prostate cancer usually include:
- Surgery,
- Radiation therapy,
- Hormonal therapy,
- Cryotherapy,
- Combinations of some of these treatments, and watchful waiting.
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| Treatment For Prostate Cancer |
A cure for metastatic prostate cancer is, unfortunately, unattainable at the present time. The treatments for metastatic prostate cancer, which include:
- Hormonal therapy
- And chemotherapy, therefore, are considered palliative.
By definition, the aims of palliative treatments are, at best, to slow the growth of the tumor and relieve the symptoms of the patient.
- Prostate cancer surgery.
- Radiation therapy for prostate cancer.
- Hormonal treatment for prostate cancer.
- Cryotherapy for prostate cancer.
- Chemotherapy for prostate cancer.
- Differences between hormonal treatment and chemotherapy.
- Herbal or other Prostate Cancer Treatment Alternatives.Prostate Cancer Treatment Alternative medicine, also called integrative or complementary medicine, includes such non-traditional treatments as herbs, dietary supplements, and acupuncture. A major problem with most prostate cancer treatment alternatives is that their composition is not standardized. Moreover, the way herbal treatments work and their long-term side effects usually are not known. Currently, there is no evidence to prove that these prostate cancer treatment alternatives have any therapeutic benefit in prostate cancers that have become resistant to conventional treatments.