6 Effective Treatments for Prostate Cancer

Learning you have prostate cancer can make you anxious about your treatment options and your chances for a full recovery.

At Urology Specialist Group, the board-certified urologists understand how overwhelming a prostate cancer diagnosis can be. They offer several on-site treatment options to treat your cancer and help you achieve remission.

The team also values the importance of preventive screenings for men who have risk factors for prostate cancer. That’s why they provide in-office prostate exams and cancer screenings to identify cancer in the earliest stages.

An overview of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is typically a slow-growing cancer of the prostate gland. This gland is just below your bladder and is essential in the production of semen.

Cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow in the gland and form a tumor. While there’s no clear reason what causes the cells to grow, it may relate to mutations in the DNA of certain cells that grow and divide faster than healthy cells. While prostate cancer generally grows slowly over time, some men can experience a more aggressive, fast growing cancer.

You may be at increased risk for developing prostate cancer as you get older or if you have a family history of the disease. Obesity is also linked to increased prostate cancer risk. Black men may be more susceptible to developing prostate cancer than other races.

Signs you need a diagnostic evaluation for prostate cancer

Because there are usually no symptoms of the disease until it reaches advanced stages, the Urology Specialist Group physicians recommend routine men’s health screenings and prostate exams if you have risk factors for prostate cancer. You should schedule this type of screening even if you don’t have symptoms.

As prostate cancer progresses, you may experience difficulties urinating or notice your output of urine is decreasing. Other potential symptoms of prostate cancer include:

• Pelvic pain
• Bone pain
• Bloody semen
• Erectile dysfunction

While these symptoms don’t necessarily mean you have cancer, you should not delay a diagnostic evaluation. Without prompt treatment, cancerous cells in the prostate can spread to other areas of your body, including into your bladder or bloodstream.

Your treatment options for prostate cancer

The goal of treating prostate cancer is to destroy the cancerous cells and prevent them from spreading elsewhere. The Urology Specialist Group providers are highly skilled in customizing a treatment plan that may include one of more of the following therapies:

1.Radiation

Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy to kill cancerous cells. This may involve delivering beams of radiation into your prostate with a machine or by placing radioactive seeds into your prostate tissue.

2. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy involves intravenous (IV) medications that kill fast-growing cancerous cells. Treatment may also involve oral medications to treat prostate cancer.

3. Cryoablation

Cryoablation uses freezing technology to destroy cancer cells. Small needles deliver a cold gas into the tumor followed by a second gas to heat the tissue. Repeated cycles of cold and heat kill off cancerous cells.

4. Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy relies on your body’s immune system to fight off cancerous cells. Treatment involves genetically engineering some of your own immune cells before injecting them back into your body to help them more effectively fight cancer cells.

5. Hormone therapy

Hormone therapy prevents your body from producing the testosterone hormone, which cancerous cells need to grow. Without testosterone, cancer cells will die off or not grow as quickly.

6. Prostatectomy

A prostatectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the prostate gland and surrounding tissue to eliminate cancer from your body. Minimally invasive robotic surgery techniques require only small incisions to remove the gland with less pain and a faster recovery time.

Your Urology Specialist Group provider can determine which prostate cancer treatment is right for you by reviewing your medical history, the severity of your cancer, and your general health. They continue working closely with you to treat cancer and reduce your risk factors for long-term, cancer complications.

To schedule a preventive prostate cancer screening or learn more about treatments available for prostate cancer, call the Urology Specialist Group office nearest you or request an appointment online today.