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Prostate Cancer Treatment Options

Current Therapies for Treating Prostate Cancer

So the biopsy came back positive. Sorry to hear that. Now is the time to explore your prostate cancer treatment options to find the one that is best for you. That can give you the best prognosis for long term survival.

Depending on your specific situation, how advanced the cancer is and what you and your doctor decide, you'll find there are many alternatives any more. Some more aggressive than the others. Some have more side effects than others. But as you'll see in a second your typical options range from surgery, chemotherapy, and the latest treatments like cryotherapy and brachytherapy.

It's safe to assume there will be side affects with any of the prostate disease treatment choices. With impotence and incontinence heading the list. Both may be temporary or more or less permanent. Just depends. Which is why you want to probably pick the course of prostate cancer therapy available to you that carries the lowest risk of each.

Here are the typical procedures for treating prostate cancer.

Radiation treatment involves either brachytherapy or external beam radiation treatments. With the former what are called radioactive seeds are inserted or implanted into the prostate itself. That latter uses beams of radiation. Either way the idea is to kill the cancer cells while sparing surrouding healthy tissue.

Another option is hormone therapy. Or depriving the tumor of testosterone - which is required for prostate growth. Some go so far as to opt for castration to stop production of testosterone which feeds the tumor.

You can elect surgical removal of your prostate. Such prostate surgery might include laparascopic surgery or a procedure known as the Da Vinci method which involves surgical assistance from a robot. Or radical prostatectomy or the complete removal of the prostate plus the seminal vesicles and surrounding tissues.

Then there's a newer choice. Rapid freezing of the cancer cells or cryotherapy for prostate cancer to cure prostate cancer.

Now if you're older, you might simply be able to opt for what's called watchful waiting. Where your low risk cancer is carefully monitored over time.

It's safe to assume that the earlier you catch the cancer you'll have more and less invasive ways of treating it.

It's also safe to assume that which is the best treatment for your prostate cancer depends on whom you ask.

Surgeons will tell you that a chance to cut is a chance to cure.

Most any oncologist has the most faith in radiation therapy.

And so on.

Unfortunately you will be hard pressed to find any scientific proof that any one way of treating prostate cancer is better than another. The best option is decided upon on a case by case basis. Which is why you should explore all the options before deciding on the best prostate cancer treatments for you.

prostate cancer treatment options