Prostate Cancer Treatment

Traditional Prostate Surgery

Radical Prostatectomy Surgery: The surgical method to remove the prostate gland along with the nearby tissues is called radical prostatectomy surgery.

Surgery is an option to treat cancer that is contained in the prostate. It is occasionally used to treat advanced prostate cancer in conjunction with other prostate cancer treatments.

Advanced Prostate Surgery

1. Robot-Assisted Prostatectomy Surgery: The surgical intervention of the removal of the prostate gland and the adjoining tissues by employing the use of highly advanced robotic surgical technology is known as Robot-assisted prostatectomy surgery.
2. Laser Surgery: An enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, causes moderate to severe urinary symptoms, which can be relieved with prostate laser surgery (BPH). During prostate laser surgery, your doctor inserts a scope into the tube that transports urine from your bladder through the tip of your penis (urethra). Because the prostate surrounds the urethra, it restricts urine flow from the bladder if it is enlarged. A laser passed through the scope delivers energy to the prostate, shrinking or removing excess tissue that is obstructing urine flow.
   • Photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP): To enlarge the urinary channel, a laser is used to melt away (vaporize) excess prostate tissue. This is a similar procedure to PVP, except that a different type of laser is used to melt away (vaporize) the excess prostate tissue.
   • Holmium laser ablation of the prostate (HoLAP): This procedure is similar to PVP, except that the excess prostate tissue is melted away (vaporized) using a different type of laser. 
   • Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP): The excess tissue that is blocking the urethra is cut and removed with the laser. After that, a morcellator is used to chop the prostate tissue into small pieces that can be removed easily.

External Beam Radiation for Prostate Cancer

External radiation is an option for treating prostate-related cancer. It can also be used after surgery to kill cancer cells that may remain if the cancer is at risk of spreading or returning.

Radiation positioned inside your body (Brachytherapy)

Brachytherapy refers to placing radioactive sources in your prostate tissues. Most commonly, radiation is contained in radioactive seeds the size of rice that are inserted into the tissues of the prostate. The seeds produce a low radiation dose over a prolonged period. Brachytherapy is an option to treat cancer that has not extended past the prostate.

For more information, please visit the brachytherapy for cancer treatment page.

Ablative therapies kill prostatic tissue through cold or heat. Options can include:

Freezing Prostate Tissue

Cryoablation or cryotherapy of prostate cancer involves using very cold gas to freeze prostatic tissue. Freezing and defrosting cycles kill cancer cells and certain healthy tissues that surround them.

Heating Prostate Tissue

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) uses concentrated ultrasound energy to heat the prostate tissue and cause its death.

Hormonal therapy is a treatment to prevent your body from producing male testosterone hormone. Prostate cancer cells are dependent upon testosterone for growth. Cutting down on testosterone supply can cause cancer cells to die or grow more slowly.

Chemotherapy uses medications to kill cells that develop quickly, including cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be given via a vein in your arm in the form of a pill or both.

Immunotherapy uses your immune system in the fight against cancer. The immune system of your body may not attack your cancer, as cancer cells produce proteins that help them hide from the cells of the immune system. Immuno-therapy acts by interfering with this process.

If you want to read more please visit the immunotherapy for cancer treatment page

Targeted drug therapies focus on specific abnormalities in cancerous cells. By blocking these abnormalities, targeted medication treatments can cause the death of cancer cells.

If hormone therapy is not effective, targeted therapeutic medications may be recommended for advanced or recurrent prostate cancer treatment.

If you want to read more, please visit the targeted therapy for cancer treatment page

A cancer treatment that uses a drug and a certain type of laser light to kill cancer cells. A drug that is not active until it is exposed to light is injected into a vein. The drug collects more in cancer cells than in normal cells.

Fiberoptic tubes are then used to carry the laser light to the cancer cells, where the drug becomes active and kills the cells. Photodynamic therapy causes little damage to healthy tissue. It is used mainly to treat tumors on or just under the skin or in the lining of internal organs.

Radiofrequency ablation is an innovative treatment used to kill cancerous tissues using high-frequency radio waves and heat.

Treatment options for stage 1 prostate cancer may include:

Active surveillance: Your PSA levels are monitored by your doctor. If those numbers rise, it could indicate that your cancer is progressing or spreading. Your doctor will then be able to alter your treatment.

Radiation therapy: This either kills or prevents prostate cancer cells from growing and dividing. 

This condition can be treated in two ways.

• A machine is used to aim a beam of radiation at your tumor in the “external” type. 
• A doctor uses “internal radiation” to treat a tumor by inserting radioactive pellets or seeds into or near it (this procedure is also known as brachytherapy).

Radical prostatectomy: This procedure involves removing your prostate as well as some of the surrounding tissue.

Ablation therapy: To kill cancer cells, this treatment uses freezing or high-intensity ultrasound.

Treatment options for stage 2 prostate cancer may include:

Active surveillance: It’s usually used at this stage if you’re a much older man or have other serious health issues.

Radiation therapy: Your doctor may give you a combination of radiation therapy with hormone therapy. These are drugs that prevent testosterone from promoting the growth of cancer cells in your body. For some patients, radiation therapy in the form of external beam and/or brachytherapy is used.

Radical prostatectomy: Surgically removing your prostate and possibly some lymph nodes around it.

Treatment options for stage 3 prostate cancer may include:

• External radiation plus hormone therapy
• External radiation plus brachytherapy and possible hormone therapy
• Radical prostatectomy: Radiation therapy and/or hormone therapy may be used after a radical prostatectomy, which usually includes the removal of the pelvic lymph nodes.

Because of the risk of disease progression without treatment, active surveillance is usually not an option for stage 3 disease.

Treatment options for stage 4 prostate cancer may include:

• Hormone Therapy: Hormone therapy is frequently used in combination with surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy.
• Radical Prostatectomy: Prostate removal surgery is performed to relieve symptoms such as bleeding or urinary obstruction, as well as to remove cancerous lymph nodes.
• Radiation Therapy: External radiation with or without hormone therapy
• Chemotherapy: If standard treatments fail to relieve symptoms and cancer progresses, chemotherapy may be used. Cancer cells will shrink and grow more slowly as a result of the drugs.
• Palliative Care: Palliative care provides relief from symptoms such as pain and difficulty peeing.