Follow doctor recommendations and work to get better

Watchful Waiting

For watching waiting, the prostate is carefully monitored, but it is not treated right away.  It’s not exactly ignoring prostate cancer, but waiting to see what the next step will be.  In some cases, a man will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, but the cancer will grow so slowly that it will not affect a man over his entire lifetime.  If symptoms spread and cancer becomes more intense, there are other options that will be implemented.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation is meant to kill fast-growing cancer cells.  It can be performed externally or internally.  External radiation therapy is when a beam is sent from outside of the body toward the tumor.  It’s performed at a hospital or a treatment center.  It’s typically performed five days a week for several weeks.  It is painless, but may produce unpleasant side effects, such as tiredness, nausea, hair loss, skin soreness and loss of appetite.

Brachytherapy is a kind of internal radiation therapy where radioactive seeds or pellets are surgically implanted into the prostate with the use of needles.  An ultrasound picture guides the physician in placing the seeds or pellets.  Medication can be used to block any pain or discomfort which may be involved.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is when chemicals are used to kill the cancer cells.  Chemotherapy is only implemented when the cancer has spread beyond the prostate.  It is not used in the early stages of prostate cancer.

Cryotherapy

This is a procedure in which an ultrasound probe is inserted into the rectum to produce a picture that the physician will watch on a monitor.  The physician inserts probes into the prostate through small incisions between the rectum and the scrotum.  The probes release liquid nitrogen to the prostate, freezing the tissue and killing the cancer cells.

Hormone Therapy

Prostate cancer feeds on the male hormone testosterone.  Sometimes a reduction in testosterone will slow the growth of cancer.

Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists (LH-RH agonists) are drugs that reduce the production of testosterone, but without the same side effects of estrogen.  They are often times used in conjunction with hormones called antiandrogens.

Sometimes the testicles are removed in order to prevent the production of testosterone.  This procedure is referred to as orchiectomy.

Prostate Removal

When the cancer hasn’t spread beyond the prostate, prostate removal may be an option.  It is not always a cancer cure, however, and time will have to go by before doctors can be sure.

TURP

Transurethral resection of the prostate (also known as TURP) is when only a portion of the prostate is removed.  It’s removed with an instrument that is inserted through the urethra.  The cancer is then removed when electricity is passed through the end of the instrument.

Suggested Reading

• Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP)
• Prostate Health: What medications are available?

These medications when combined can improve your symptoms.

Alpha-blockers help treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) by relaxing smooth muscle tissue found in the prostate and the bladder neck. The relaxing of the muscles near the prostate relieves pressure and lets urine flow more freely, but doesn’t shrink the size of the prostate.

5 alpha-reductase inhibitors, known as finasteride or dutasteride, can help shrink the prostate.  This can relieve symptoms by blocking an enzyme that acts on the male hormone testosterone to boost organ growth. When the enzyme is blocked, growth slows down. This helps to:

• Shrink the prostate
• Reduce blockage
• Limit the need for BPH surgery

You may need to take 5 alpha reductase for at least 6 months to a year before you can increase urine flow and reduce the symptoms of BPH.  It seems to work best for men with very large prostates.   Unfortunately, this medication must be taken continuously to prevent symptoms from coming back.

5 alpha-reductase inhibitors can cause the following side effects in a small percentage of men:

• Decreased interest in sex
• Trouble getting or keeping an erection
• Smaller amount of semen with ejaculation.

It is important to note that taking this drug can lower your prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test levels. There is also evidence that finasteride lowers the risk of getting prostate cancer, but whether it lowers the risk of dying from prostate cancer is still unclear.

In general, these medications are usually taken by mouth one to two times a day.  Most men will notice a significant improvement within the next couple days, but definitely in the first two weeks.

It is important to use a combination of an alpha-blocker with a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, which may help your symptoms more than either medicine alone.

If your bladder is completely damaged, the medications may not be effective and surgical intervention may be required.  If possible medications should be attempted before an evasive surgery.

There are also many prostate medications for prostate cancer treatment.  With cancer, you may undergo hormone therapy.  Hormones are drugs that can affect the growth of prostate cancer cells.  This therapy may be used with radiation treatment or surgery to make sure the cancer cells are destroyed.

Suggested Reading

• What Kind of Treatment will You undergo for Prostatitis?
• BPH – Diagnosis and Treatment
• Natural Treatments for Prostate Infection
• Prostatitis – Risks, Symptoms, Diagnosis
• Diverticulitis: What is it and what can you do about it?
• Natural Treatments for Prostatitis
• General Patient Oriented Information about Prostatitis
• How Can Interstitial Cystitis Affect Your Prostate?
• Herbal Supplements to Promote Prostate Health and to Treat Prostate Disease
• Prostatitis – A Correct Diagnosis