Treatment options for prostate cancer
By Mayo Clinic staffThere are several prostate cancer treatment options, and choosing the best course of action is not always a clear-cut decision. Talking with specialists about your specific situation is the best way to understand the risks and benefits of your treatment choices.
The main approaches to treating early-stage prostate cancer include:
- Active surveillance (watchful waiting)
- External beam radiation therapy
- Radioactive seed implants (brachytherapy)
- Surgery to remove the prostate (radical prostatectomy)
- Cryosurgery
- Hormone therapy
Active surveillance (watchful waiting) may be a good choice if your cancer is a less aggressive type, hasn't spread and isn't very big. On the other end of the spectrum, if your cancer has spread beyond the prostate, you may need surgery to remove your prostate (prostatectomy), radiation therapy and possibly additional treatments such as hormone therapy. For some men with more extensive cancer, a combination of treatments works best, such as surgery followed by radiation or radiation paired with hormone therapy.
The treatment you choose may depend on several factors:
- Whether your cancer is confined to your prostate gland
- How fast your cancer is growing
- The volume of cancer within your prostate
- How far it has spread
- Your age
- Your overall health
- The benefits and potential side effects of treatments
Before reaching a definitive treatment decision, make sure you understand the pros and cons of your treatment options. In deciding on the treatment that's right for you, consider not only the likely outcomes of treatment but also the potential side effects and how they will affect your life. Treatment results and side effects are unique for surgery, radiation therapy, radioactive seed implants and cryotherapy. Keep in mind that while side effects can be serious and ongoing, there are treatments to reduce their impact. For many men, side effects of prostate cancer treatments improve with time.
By learning as much as you can about the risks and benefits of your treatment options, you can feel confident about the choices you make to treat your cancer.
