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Hormone therapy prevents the testicles from making testosterone. Testosterone stimulates the spread of cancer cells. Hormone therapy also blocks hormones from entering cancer cells. Doctors combine drugs, such as leuprolide and goserelin, bicalutamide and nilutamide, for this treatment. The physician injects these drugs into your muscle. You can have this therapy done every three to four months.
Bicalutamide and nilutamide come in tablets that you may take orally up to three times per day. This procedure is effective in men with advanced prostate cancer. It helps to shrink the tumor and slows the growing process of cancer cells. Side effects include weight gain, enlargement of the breasts and hot flashes. -
Radioactive seed implants is another treatment for prostate cancer. This procedure involves implanting seeds into your prostate. The seeds contain a high dose of radiation. The radiation lasts a long time. The physician uses this therapy in men with smaller prostates. The procedure consists of 40 to 100 radioactive seeds inserted into your prostate. Ultrasound needles implant the seeds.
This procedure is performed under anesthesia and lasts one or two hours. Usually you may go home the same day of the treatment. Most men do. Doctors recommend you to stay six feet away from pregnant women and children for the first months after the treatment. Most common side effects are erectile dysfunction, loose stool and painful urination. - External beam radiation treatment uses X-rays to destroy cancer cells. This treatment is effective, but it can also damage your healthy cells. Computer-imaging software targets the area that needs radiation. This is important in order to minimize harm to your healthy tissue. EBRT is given about five days per week for eight weeks. Each treatment is about 10 minutes long. Anesthesia is not necessary with EBRT because there is no pain involved. You can have mild side effects with the treatment, such as urinary problems and loose stool. These usually vanish after the eight weeks of treatment.
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Radical prostatectomy treatment involves surgery. The surgeon removes your prostate gland and lymph nodes. There are two surgical procedures under radical prostatectomy: retropubic and perineal surgery. In retropubic surgery, the doctor makes an incision in the lower part of your stomach. Your surgeon removes the prostate gland and pelvic lymph nodes. The surgeon testes the lymph nodes to see whether the tumor has grown in other areas. The surgeon can save the nerves, which control erections and function of the bladder.
Perineal surgery consists of your surgeon making an incision in the middle of your anus and scrotum. The doctor removes your prostate gland. Recuperating time can be shorter with this procedure. After either operation, the surgeon inserts a catheter into your bladder to drain the urine. The catheter is used until your urinary tract recovers. Side effects for radical prostatectomy include erectile dysfunction and bladder problems. - The robot-assisted laparoscopy radical prostatectomy is another treatment for prostate cancer. The surgeon performs small incisions in your stomach. The doctor places a tube with a camera or laparoscope on the edge through your abdomen. This helps the surgeon to have a clear image of the area on which to be operated. A mechanical device holds the instrument. Your physician controls the instrument through a screen in order to remove the prostate gland. Side effects for this treatment include erectile dysfunction and bladder control problems.
