Prostate Cancer Treatment Modalities

There are several palliative and treatment procedures to choose from when diagnosed with prostate cancer. It is in your best interest to be educated and informed when it comes to making a decision on your treatment modality.

Radiation

• Two primary delivery methods of radiation therapy are available for prostate cancer. Brachytherapy is a form of treatment in which radiative seeds are implanted near or in the cancerous area of the prostate gland. External beam radiation kills cancer cells by using high-energy radiation from an outside source. In addition, a third type of radiation treatment, expensive and rarely available, is proton beam radiation, which uses protons in lieu of gamma rays.

Surgery

• Radical prostatectomy is a procedure in which the entire prostate gland and the seminal vesicles are removed through tiny incisions using a laparoscope. Perineal prostatectomy removes the prostate through an incision between the scrotum and the rectum.

Hormonal Therapy

• Sometimes called androgen deprivation therapy, drugs are administered which prevent the body from making androgens, hormones that stimulate activity of the male sex organs.

Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses a combination of drugs, or drug cocktail, to kill cancer cells.

Cryotherapy

• Cryotherapy is a prostate cancer treatment modality in which tumors are destroyed by freezing.

Watchful Waiting

• Watchful waiting is the deferral of treatment until the cancer begins to grow.