What Common Treatments Are Available for Prostate Cancer?
Posted on: 19 June 2019
Prostate cancer impacts on the lives of men all over Australia. If it is not caught at an early enough stage, then it can be lethal. However, there are a number of treatment options open to clinicians which can mean that the disease is dealt with effectively. What are some of the possible treatments that your doctor may recommend if you have been diagnosed with this form of cancer?
Radical Prostatectomy
Once it has been established beyond doubt that you have prostate cancer, it may be that your medical team suggests surgery. One such procedure to cut the cancerous cells from your body is known as a radical prostatectomy. Effectively, this means the entire removal of your prostate gland. This surgical option may well cure your prostate cancer entirely so long as the disease has not yet spread very far beyond the gland itself. Some men suffer from unwanted side effects after this type of procedure, notably with bladder control and bouts of impotence.
Radiotherapy
Like other cancers, radiotherapy is an established technique for killing off tumours without the need for surgery. With prostate cancer, sometimes radiotherapy is used after a radical prostatectomy in order to back it up and, at others, it is a sole treatment on its own. Similar side effects to surgery are commonplace with radiotherapy, however. In addition, patients may suffer from things like diarrhoea, fatigue, cystitis and even the loss of pubic hair during their treatment and for a short time after it. That said, this approach is usually successful in about two-thirds of cases across the western world.
Brachytherapy
This is a special type of radiotherapy where a small surgical procedure is used to implant radioactive material into the tumour itself. Usually, the material comes in a seed-like form which is introduced via needles. Although brachytherapy commonly has fewer side effects compared with conventional radiotherapy, it is not suitable in all cases.
Laser Treatment
Along with hormone treatments and chemotherapy, laser prostate surgery is now offered in Australia for this form of cancer. The method is suited to men in the 'low risk' category who would not necessarily undergo other treatments until their prostate worsened. Laser prostate surgery is known to sometimes involve the same side effects as other approaches but with a lower risk of them occurring, making this an appealing option. The method uses a light-sensitive drug which is introduced into the prostate that is later activated by a laser when it is in contact with the cells the surgeon wishes to target.
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