Chemotherapy, also known as targeted therapy, can help prolong the life of people with advanced disease and control the symptoms. Bisphosphonates, for example, help prevent bone loss and pain and can reduce the size of tumours. Chemotherapy is also often used to treat metastatic prostate cancer. These treatments kill cancer cells by interfering with their multiplication.
Many treatments for prostate cancer have severe side effects, including urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. While some treatments have minimal side effects, some people are still hesitant to undergo them. Many people delay treatment until they feel they have a good chance of the cancer spreading. Newer treatments aim to reduce or eliminate the effects of cancer treatment. Survivorship care plans can educate patients and provide guidance for healthcare providers. OncoLink is one of the leading sources for survivorship care plans.
There are two types of prostate cancer: localized and metastatic. Localized cancers affect the prostate only. Metastatic cancers have spread to distant sites, including the bones and lymph nodes. In some cases, localized prostate cancer is curable, although it may require several different types of treatment. The 5-year survival rate for localized prostate cancer is almost 100%. By contrast, metastatic prostate cancers can spread to the lymph nodes, lungs, bones, and other organs.
The primary goal of an active surveillance program is to reduce the number of unnecessary prostate biopsies. This treatment option is appropriate for older men with low-grade prostate tumors, a low-risk PSA, or multiple medical issues. In addition, patients with low-risk prostate cancer can opt to avoid the side effects of therapy and undergo a biopsy without the risk of the disease progressing. If a bioassay results in a positive biopsy, definitive treatment can be offered. If the cancer doesn’t grow or spread, the vast majority of patients will remain on active surveillance.
As a slow-moving disease, prostate cancer has a high mortality rate. However, because it develops slowly, most men who are diagnosed with the disease will die of other causes. Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer in men in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, one in every nine men born in the United States will develop the disease at some point in his life. Unlike breast cancer, the disease is more likely to be low-grade and slow-growing.
PSA levels are used to determine whether or not a tumor is cancerous. PSA levels can be elevated if a patient has benign prostatic hyperplasia, a bacterial infection, or prostatitis. But PSA is not foolproof. A higher PSA result indicates a higher likelihood of cancer. And the higher the PSA, the more likely it is that it is prostate cancer. The PSA will rise.
