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Types of Prostate Cancer Treatments

by J.D. Wollf

Overview

Prostate cancer affects the prostate gland, a part of the male reproductive system that helps produce semen. Prostate cancer is a relatively common type of cancer in older men, and there are several different treatment options for men who develop the disease. You may not even need to undergo any sort of treatment at all depending on your age and the stage of your prostate cancer.
Watchful Waiting

In some cases, the best treatment for prostate cancer is not treating it at all. For some men, especially older men with early-stage prostate cancer, the tumor may actually be so slow-growing that you're more likely to die of a host of other medical issues than of your prostate tumor. Sounds grim, but aggressive cancer treatment may put you through a lot of pain to defeat a tumor that would never actually become invasive. Your doctor may recommend that you come in for regular screenings to keep an eye on your prostate, and that you check in if your symptoms change.

Surgery

There are several types of surgery that are used to treat prostate cancer. Radical prostatectomy removes the entire prostate. Radical prostatectomy is performed in two ways, either by removing the prostate through the abdominal wall (retropubic prostatacetomy) or by removing the prostate through the area between the scrotum and anus (perineal prostactomy). Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) removes only part of the prostate. A cutting tool is inserted into the urethra and parts of the prostate are removed through that channel. Surgical treatment for prostate cancer has possible side effects like impotence and incontinence.
Radiation

Radiation treatment is often used to kill off prostate cancer cells. Radiation can be either external or internal. External radiation comes from a machine that directs beams of radiation at the body. Internal radiation treatment, which is also called brachytherapy, involves placing radioactive pellets or wires into the prostate cancer itself. If you have internal radiation, you may have to avoid certain people, like pregnant women and children, for a bit as you yourself will be radioactive. Radiation has similar side effects to surgical treatment.
Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy is designed to block male sex hormones that can cause prostate cancer to grow. Most types of hormone therapy come in the form of medications that block the male sex hormones testosterone and androgen. Orchiectomy is a surgery that removes the testicles, thereby removing hormones at the source. Hormone therapy can produce side effects such as lowered sex drive, hot flashes and weakened bones.
Experimental Treatment

Experimental therapies are available for men with prostate cancer. Chemotherapy, commonly used to treat other types of cancer, is now being used to try to treat prostate cancer. High-intensity focused ultrasound therapy attempts to break up cancer cells using sound waves, while cryosurgery freezes prostate cancer cells to kill them. Biologic therapies tries to stimulate the prostate cancer patient's own immune system to fight cancer cells.