The treatment of prostate cancer

The treatment of prostate cancer

According to the National Cancer Society, prostate cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the tissues of the prostate. Because the disease affects only men, and usually those who are older, the disease can cause problems with urination, back pain and hip, blood in urine and sexual dysfunction, as well as the pain release sperm. There are treatments for prostate cancer, however, and not all are as invasive as chemotherapy.Surgery is a common choice for treatment, because it can remove any of the lymph nodes in the pelvis, which may contain cancerous tissue or whole cancerous prostate and surrounding tissue. If cancer cells are found in the tissue of the lymph nodes, then there is no need to remove the entire prostate, but treatment is still needed to eradicate cancer cells completely.

Radiation is another form of treatment for prostate cancer, the use of X-rays and other forms of radiation to kill cancer cells by preventing them from growing cells and back. Whether used internally or externally, radiation can cause urinary and sexual problems in men receiving this treatment. This option is only viable if the tumor is still within the prostate or lymph nodes together, and is not necessary if the tumor has spread its way out of the prostate. For this type of prostate cancer, hormone therapy can be used to slow or stop the production of male hormones, which are primarily in the testes.  

Testes, one or both, may also be removed during hormone therapy to rid the body of androgens that create male hormone.For older men in the early stages of prostate cancer, may also be used watchful waiting. This involves seeing the growth and rate of tumor to monitor whether treatment is necessary. Some prostate cancer tumors grow slowly, which means that the risks of cancer treatment may not be beneficial in the final phase of its life, when a man could be more susceptible to side effects of treatment. New therapies are being developed, such as cryotherapy, which freezes cancer cells and destroy them. Ultimately, the treatment is right for each individual Art By:. EA Greville