TREATMENT OPTIONS Early Stage Prostate Cancer
Active Surveillance Close monitoring of the status of the prostate cancer through regular office visits and repeat medical tests. Prostate cancer can grow slowly, allowing time to evaluate options. In addition to active surveillance for low risk disease, other early stage treatment options include 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 Known as a radical prostatectomy, is the removal of the entire prostate by a surgeon. Radiation therapy Uses radiation to destroy the cancer cells in the prostate while leaving the prostate in the body. It can be given in two ways: externally (from the outside) and internally (placed inside) to fight prostate cancer.
Cryotherapy Freezing of the tumor to destroy the cancer cells.
HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) Uses heat to kill prostate cancer cells. One systemic therapy that may be used to treat early stage prostate cancer is hormone therapy: Hormone Therapy Also called androgen deprivation therapy or ADT, lowers the testosterone level in a man's body. This aims to stop tumor growth and/or shrink the tumor. ADT has always been an important treatment for advanced prostate cancer, and is sometimes used in combination with radiation therapy for high risk early stage patients.
VETERANS PROSTATE CANCER GUIDE
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