Prostate Cancer Treatment  

Your oncologist along with a group of physicians will base on  your age, medical history, and the stage of the cancer to determine the most effective treatment to combat the disease. Most of the times, a combination of therapies are used to increase chances of recovery. The main treatments for prostate cancer are surgery, proton therapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormonal therapy. In some cases, you may be recommended a watchful waiting (also known as expectant therapy, observation or deferred therapy).

Watchful waiting  

In case the cancer cells are confined to the prostate gland, your doctor may suggest a program of close monitoring, including analysis of your PSA and periodic clinical examinations; no medication or surgery will be recommended. This technique is safe in an early phase of prostate cancer, as the development of prostate cancer is often slow.  

Your oncologist may also recommend you a watchful waiting if you are elderly; because in most cases, the tumor will not have time to grow before other health problems do occur. It is, therefore, better to observe the cancer without performing any surgery, which can lead to major complications. In fact, in elderly patients, the cancer treatment may cause more problems than the cancer itself. 

Treatment of Pain  

In case you have prostate cancer associated with bone metastases, you may experience severe pain which can lead to impaired quality of life and requires you to take analgesics (painkillers). These drugs along with bisphosphonates (also called diphosphonates) can decrease pain and slow bone lesions associated with the cancer.  

In severe condition where pain killers do not work, your doctor may use session of focused radiation on the tumor areas or intravenous injection of radioactive substances to control the bone pain.  

    Prostate Cancer Stages                               Prostate Cancer Survival Rates