Treatment Options For Your Prostate Cancer
It can be scary hearing from your doctor that you have prostate cancer. If caught early, though, current treatment options can remove all of the cancerous cells to effect a cure. Here are the common treatment approaches your doctor will discuss with you.
Active Surveillance
This is the "wait and see" approach when the prostate cancer is in its very early phases. Prostate tumors grow slowly and rarely cause a problem until they become large enough to affect the prostate gland and urinary tract. Because all of the cancer treatments have side effects that you'd like to avoid, your doctor may suggest monitoring the tumor closely until there are signs of change before recommending a more aggressive treatment.
Surgical Removal
If the tumor grows large enough to cause you uncomfortable symptoms, such as painful urination, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove the tumor and all or part of your prostate gland. Some of the tissues around the glad may be removed if the surgeon suspects that the tumor has begun to spread. Some of the side effects you may have from surgery include:
- urine leaking
- difficulty maintaining an erection
Ultrasound Treatment
High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for treating prostate cancer uses a small probe to send sound waves into the tumor. This heats up the cancerous cells and destroys them. This is most often used when there is no sign that the cancer cells have spread. Some of the side effects from this procedure include:
- scar tissue in the prostate
- prostate gland infections
- urine leaking
- difficulty maintaining an erection
Radiation Therapy
If the cancer cells have spread to tissues surrounding the tumor, radiation therapy may be recommended to get rid of the tumor and cells around it. Two approaches can be used with this treatment:
- an external beam of radiation can be fired at the tumor and surrounding tissues
- radioactive pellets can be placed directly into the tumor
Both approaches have these side effects:
- bloody stools
- frequent diarrhea
- painful urination
- difficulty maintaining an erection
Chemotherapy
If the cancer cells have spread to other organs in your body, this is the only one of the treatment approaches that can find and destroy those cells. A chemical agent is injected or swallowed. As it is absorbed into the bloodstream, it seeks out and destroys rapidly reproducing cells, one of the characteristics of cancer cells. Some of this treatment's side effects include:
- appetite loss
- weight loss
- hair loss
- sores in the mouth
- nausea and vomiting
- frequent diarrhea
To learn more, contact a company like International HIFU.
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