Options For Treating Your Recently Diagnosed Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer grows very slowly, so you may have it for years before having any symptoms at all. This is good news if your cancer is in its early stages, but bad news if it advanced before your doctor detected it. The recommended treatment depends on how far the cancer has spread and the likelihood it can be removed completely. Here are some of the approaches your doctor may offer when they have diagnosed how advanced the prostate tumor has become.

Active Surveillance

When detected very early in its life cycle, a prostate tumor is small and self-contained. Because it is slow-growing, it may be years before there is the risk of it spreading to adjoining tissues or other organs. There are side effects associated with the prostate cancer treatments, so you may want to avoid those as long as possible. Your doctor may suggest monitoring the tumor and waiting to do any other treatment until there are signs of change.

Surgery

When the prostate tumor becomes large enough, you'll develop uncomfortable symptoms, such as difficulty urinating. Your doctor may recommend surgically removing the tumor and part of the prostate gland. To make sure they remove any cancer cells that have spread, some of the tissue surrounding the tumor is also removed. Some common side effects of this procedure include:

• urine leaking
• erectile dysfunction

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)

Focused ultrasound prostate cancer treatment uses a small probe to send ultrasonic waves into the tumor which heats up and destroys the cancer cells. This treatment is effective if there are no signs that the tumor has begun to spread. This is a new procedure and is not offered at all facilities. Side effects from this treatment include:

• scarring of the prostate
• infection of the prostate
• urine leaking
• erectile dysfunction

Radiation Therapy

If your doctor detects signs of the cancer cells spreading beyond the tumor, more focused treatments won't remove all of the cells. Radiation therapy targets the cells in and around the tumor. The radiation used to treat the cancer may come from an external beam focused on the prostate gland and the tissue around it. Radioactive pellets placed directly the tumor may be used to deliver a dose of radiation to the cancerous cells. Side effects of this treatment may stop once the treatment has ended and include:

• bloody stools
• diarrhea
• burning when urinating
• erectile dysfunction

Chemotherapy

In advanced stages of this cancer when it has spread to other areas of the body, chemotherapy is necessary to track down and destroy the cells. This treatment may be given orally or by an injection into the blood stream. Several treatment sessions are needed to make sure the cancer has been removed from your body.

Many of the side effects will reverse once the treatment has stopped and may include:

• loss of appetite
• weight loss
• hair loss
• sores in the mouth
• nausea and vomiting
• diarrhea

To learn more about focused ultrasound prostate cancer treatment, contact a company like International HIFU.