What Men Need To Know About Prostate Cancer Treatment Options
Cancer is a serious disease caused by the uncontrolled and abnormal growth of cells. One of the most common cancers in adult American males is prostate cancer. The prostate is a male reproductive gland that produces fluid and secretes it when a man ejaculates. Men who develop this disease need to know about the prostate cancer treatment options currently available.
Physicians will select one of several treatments based on multiple factors, including the patient's age and the stage of the disease. Whether the patient has other problems with his health or whether the condition has returned after earlier diagnosis will also affect the decision making process. Patients should also weigh any expected side effects against the prognosis.
If a screening test reveals this condition in older men who are not experiencing symptoms, the physician will monitor the patient closely without treatment until the condition changes. Waiting for symptoms to show before treating is known as watchful waiting. Active surveillance is monitoring a patient with regular testing. Test results alert the patient and his physician if the disease starts to get worse or spread.
Hormone therapy can be effective for limiting the levels of male hormones that can promote cancer cell growth. Physicians can prescribe various drugs to block the production of testosterone in the testicles or to inhibit the action of androgens. Some men will have one or both testicles removed to eliminate the largest source of testosterone.
Partial or complete surgical removal of the diseased gland may be an option if the disease has not had time to spread to other organs. Depending on the progress of the disease, surgeons will remove gland tissue, the seminal vesicles, lymph nodes, or any combination to remove as many diseased cells as possible.
Many types of cancers, including this one, respond well to radiation. Physicians have sophisticated new ways to target radiation therapy directly to the diseased cells. These procedures can often save surrounding healthy tissue from exposure to radioactive materials. Radium-223 injections are used to kill cells that have migrated to bone tissue. Physicians may inject radioactive seeds directly into the prostate gland or use an external radiation machine to target the area.
Chemotherapy is a treatment method that inhibits growth of diseased cells. Patients receive injections of various chemicals directly into the organ, the cerebrospinal fluid, the veins, or the muscles. In some cases, the patient takes the drugs orally.
Other methods are being studied in clinical trials. Cryotherapy utilizes freezing temperatures to destroy diseased cells. Another treatment showing some promise is high-intensity focused ultrasound delivered via an endorectal probe. Proton beam radiation therapy is a type of external radiation therapy that bombards tumors with a proton stream to destroy them. Patients and their physicians will decide what best fits the individual's physical condition and lifestyle.
Physicians will select one of several treatments based on multiple factors, including the patient's age and the stage of the disease. Whether the patient has other problems with his health or whether the condition has returned after earlier diagnosis will also affect the decision making process. Patients should also weigh any expected side effects against the prognosis.
If a screening test reveals this condition in older men who are not experiencing symptoms, the physician will monitor the patient closely without treatment until the condition changes. Waiting for symptoms to show before treating is known as watchful waiting. Active surveillance is monitoring a patient with regular testing. Test results alert the patient and his physician if the disease starts to get worse or spread.
Hormone therapy can be effective for limiting the levels of male hormones that can promote cancer cell growth. Physicians can prescribe various drugs to block the production of testosterone in the testicles or to inhibit the action of androgens. Some men will have one or both testicles removed to eliminate the largest source of testosterone.
Partial or complete surgical removal of the diseased gland may be an option if the disease has not had time to spread to other organs. Depending on the progress of the disease, surgeons will remove gland tissue, the seminal vesicles, lymph nodes, or any combination to remove as many diseased cells as possible.
Many types of cancers, including this one, respond well to radiation. Physicians have sophisticated new ways to target radiation therapy directly to the diseased cells. These procedures can often save surrounding healthy tissue from exposure to radioactive materials. Radium-223 injections are used to kill cells that have migrated to bone tissue. Physicians may inject radioactive seeds directly into the prostate gland or use an external radiation machine to target the area.
Chemotherapy is a treatment method that inhibits growth of diseased cells. Patients receive injections of various chemicals directly into the organ, the cerebrospinal fluid, the veins, or the muscles. In some cases, the patient takes the drugs orally.
Other methods are being studied in clinical trials. Cryotherapy utilizes freezing temperatures to destroy diseased cells. Another treatment showing some promise is high-intensity focused ultrasound delivered via an endorectal probe. Proton beam radiation therapy is a type of external radiation therapy that bombards tumors with a proton stream to destroy them. Patients and their physicians will decide what best fits the individual's physical condition and lifestyle.
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Get an overview of the advantages you get when you consult an oncologist and details about effective prostate cancer treatment options at http://smart-surgery.com now.
posted by sahab @ 4:21 PM
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