Types of Treatment for Prostate Cancer

Cancer has many types depending on the body where they grow. There’re types of cancer that does not require special treatment because of slow growth and classified as dangerous cancer, while others can be very dangerous due to the rapid growth that can threaten person's life. Therefore, we must know the types and methods to treat cancer.

Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that occurs in most men. To be able to treat it is through several ways and the doctors is people who has to decide which method is right for their patients because the disease need to be examined about the grade, stage, health conditions, and age. Ironically, over time, methods of treatment and prediction of physicians will increasingly uncertain. This is because the side effects and feelings of patients may affect patient survival.

Several methods of treatment for prostate cancer such as surgery, hormonal therapy, waiting for the right moment, or radiation therapy may be combined for patients. If the cancer is diagnosed early, they may be required to take medication. Therefore, the role of doctors is needed in this area, because the side effects of these medications can affect sexual performance for the time or the worst is forever.

In many instances of local prostate cancer, it can be eliminated by two main treatments. They are (1) radiotherapy, including interstitial beam radiotherapy and external radiotherapy, and (2) surgery to remove radical prostatectomy / vesical vesicle and prostate. However this is very unfortunate for older patients who have the possibility of other diseases, treatment is only effective for patients with life expectancy for more than 10 years. In addition to that chemotherapy / hormone therapy may you choose because this method is more effective than radiotherapy to treat patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

Surgery for Radical Prostatectomy

This method involves removal of tissues surrounding the prostate and its overall, pelvic lymph nodes and seminal vesicles. Radical prostatectomy is called to be the best treatment, if prostate cancer spreads only in the prostate gland. So that to prevent further development should be taken a way to remove the entire prostate and its surrounding tissues. Surgery is highly recommended to those who have a life expectancy of more than 10 years and have organ disease.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy or radiotherapy is a treatment method with a variety of ways such as placing a radioactive material by injection into the flow of the body or the use of X-rays. Radiation treatment is used for many purposes, such as for treating prostate cancer. For this case is as a treatment for recurrent prostate cancer, treatment of pain or any consequences arising prostate cancer on the body parts.

Between of external beam radiotherapy and radical prostatectomy have similar curative indications, that is patient must have a cancerous organ with a life expectancy of at least 10 years. Typically, patients will be given 7-week course of radiotherapy and if it compared to radical prostatectomy, it has a degree of erectile dysfunction and incontinence are less than radical prostatectomy. However, for conventional external radiotherapy, it has side effects such as intestinal complications and symptoms of urinary irritation.

Hormonal therapy

Hormonal therapy is selected if prostate cancer has in further developed and spread to surrounding body parts. This therapy aims to prevent cancer growth and reduce the resulting symptoms through medication or surgery to reduce testosterone and prostate tumors that supports the case. The operation to reduce testosterone is bilateral orchiectomy which is by removal of the testes. While the other to suppress the production of testosterone through chemical castration (LH-RH injection analog synthesis) every 3-4 months, the cancer cells from growing element will be eliminated. All effects of male hormone that supports prostate cancer cells can be eliminated with the use of drugs in the hormonal therapy.

In addition to preventing the growth of prostate cancer, hormonal therapy also give side effects such as anemia, osteoporosis, vomiting, nausea, erectile dysfunction, and chest swell. Some experts also suggested that the duration of patient survival can be improved if the treatment that taken is a combination of hormonal treatment with radiation.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a treatment to destroy cancer cells by several drugs. They kill the cancer cells are growing rapidly through the bloodstream to spread throughout the body. Because these drugs affect healthy cells as well, these are required a frequency and dose of physicians to control the risks posed to healthy cells. Lately, these treatments are often used by patients with cancer that has spread beyond the prostate gland. Therefore patients with advanced prostate cancer are prefer to choose chemotherapy rather than hormone therapy to improve survival and reduce pain.

Chemotherapy can give side effects vary depending on the type and duration of treatment or dose of medication. Prednisone and docetaxel are a regimen that most widely used today. The side effects include changes in taste, diarrhea, fatigue, decreased blood cell counts, nausea, increased risk of infection, and vomiting.

Watchful waiting

This is a delay method for treatment. It takes a strategy point of view to have it. Generally, those with watchful waiting was a diligent examination of good health and compliance through the measurement of PSA and clinical examination as well which supported and based on the development of prostate cancer that has slowed down naturally. Meanwhile, older patients with local cancer or the advanced one will be delayed for the treatment and to avoid the lack of tumor staging can be traversed by repeated biopsy.

Active Surveillance

For men who have prostate cancer with low risk of death, namely cancer with moderate or small grade and with small volume is highly recommended to choose active surveillance. In active surveillance, patients received periodic checks for DRE, prostate biopsy,serial PSA and transrectal ultrasound. This one is different from watchful waiting because if the disease shows signs of change or grow more aggressive, then the patient may choose a treatment to cure the disease. This is a method for maintaining quality of life of patients when the cancer was dormant or growing slowly.

Even now there is still controversy about how to prevent prostate cancer, so many doctors who said that a healthy lifestyle to prevent the disease is still difficult to find. Healthy lifestyle includes the physical exercise, proper amount of nutrition, the consumption of vegetables and fruits, and healthy foods. Therefore, the best way is to visit a doctor regularly and try not to be overweight (having a normal body weight).