NEWLY DIAGNOSED PROSTATE CANCER GUIDE
Types of Prostate Cancer Treatment Active Surveillance
Active surveillance is a disease management strategy for low-risk, early stage prostate cancer. This strategy monitors the disease for signs of progression (with regular PSA testing and DREs) but avoids immediate treatment with surgery or radiation. If test results change, treatment may be warranted. Local Therapies Local therapy is treatment that is directed to a specific organ or limited area of the body, such as the prostate. Local therapies for prostate cancer include surgery, radiation, HIFU, and cryotherapy. Surgery Surgically removing all or part of the prostate, also known as a prostatectomy, aims to remove all of the prostate cancer. The full removal of the prostate is called a radical prostatectomy. Robotic-assisted surgical removal of the prostate is the most widely used form of localized prostate cancer surgery. Like other surgical methods, this procedure still requires an experienced surgeon, but robotic surgery may lead to a faster recovery time, reduced blood loss, and a lower risk of infection. Whichever type of surgery is performed, it usually requires an overnight hospital stay and patients typically will need a catheter to help drain urine for up to 14 days post-surgery. Many physical activities will be limited for up to two months after the surgery. Radiation Therapy Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, uses various forms of radiation to safely and effectively treat prostate cancer. It works by damaging the genetic material within the prostate cancer cells and limiting their ability to successfully reproduce. When these damaged cancer cells die, the body naturally eliminates them. The goal of radiation is to kill the tumor while sparing as much healthy tissue as possible. Radiation therapy can be given externally (directed from outside the body) or internally (placed inside the body) when treating localized prostate cancer. These two categories are further broken into several types of treatment that vary by method, dose, frequency, and intended use. External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is non-invasive, so patients can be active during and after treatment with no down time. Brachytherapy, while less common, is a type of internal radiation therapy that involves the placement of radioactive seeds or temporary catheters into the prostate. This is a minimally invasive procedure, and most patients can expect to return to normal activity in less than a week. In patients with advanced prostate cancer, EBRT can be used to relieve pain from bone metastases and may also be used in combination with hormone therapy.
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