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Overview of Treatment Options

Know Your Options

Prostate cancer is the most frequently occurring cancer among men. The widespread use of the prostate-specific antigen test (PSA) in recent years has resulted in dramatic increases in the number of men diagnosed at both a younger age and at an earlier stage of the disease. Consequently, the number of men seeking treatment for localized prostate cancer has also increased, suggesting that more men are living with the disease rather than dying from the disease. Evidence to date has yet to show a clear survival advantage for any given treatment of early-stage or localized prostate cancer. While potentially curative, existing treatments can have side-effects that can impact quality of life among prostate cancer survivors.

Learn More >>  Making the Treatment Decision Informational Seminars are offered monthly to provide clear, unbiased information on the treatment options available for prostate cancer. It is our goal to help you make the best treatment decision for you and your family.

If you wish to secure a consultation appointment with one or more of the physicians on our team, please click here for more information.

 

Options for the treatment of prostate cancer depend on the stage of your cancer. Learn More>> How is Prostate Cancer Staged? Understand how staging is done using the TNM system.

What are the available prostate cancer treatment options?

Today, there are numerous options for men with localized disease (disease confined to the prostate) including:

Surgery                    

  • Radical Prostatectomy (retropubic or perineal approach)
  • Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy – manual or robotic
  • Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP)
  • Cryoablation or cryosurgery
  • Robotic radical prostatectomy.

 

Radiation therapy

Pictured:

Dr. Nancy Wiggers and Dr. Peter Possert, Radiation Oncologists at the Prostate Cancer Center at Saint Joseph's

 

 

 

Learn More>> Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Nancy Wiggers, talks to Men's Health Radio about Understanding the possible side effects of radiation in cancer treatment and how to minimize them and Learning to live with the long-term effects of radiation treatment for cancer.

 

Watchful waiting (also called active surveillance or expectant therapy)

Other therapies

How can I choose the best treatment for prostate cancer?

Involved in the prostate cancer treatment decision process are considerations about your age and general health, along with discussions about the much-feared side effects of incontinence and impotence and how they may affect your life. Incontinence and impotence are among the two greatest life-altering side effects that can occur with all the various prostate cancer treatment options.

Physicians affiliated with the Prostate Cancer Center at Saint Joseph’s are an expert group of urologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists and other physicians who are involved in the research and practice of advanced and innovative prostate cancer treatment can provide you with a coordinated, multi-disciplinary approach to choosing  which prostate cancer treatment option is best for you.

Without a doubt, treatment decisions are difficult to make and require the input of your spouse, your primary care physician and your urologist at a minimum. Speaking with others about treatment can also be helpful.

Learn More >>  Making the Treatment Decision Informational Seminars are offered monthly to provide clear, unbiased information on the treatment options available for prostate cancer. It is our goal to help you make the best treatment decision for you and your family. Go to our newsletter article archive for articles on prostate cancer and prostate health. In addition, our Resource Page offers a variety of excellent internet-based and free resources on prostate cancer and prostate health.

Contact Renee Sevy-Hasterok,  Patient Navigator at the Prostate Cancer Center at Saint Joseph’s at (678) 843-5665 or rsevy@sjha.org to learn more about how our coordinated, multi-disciplinary services can help you choose the prostate cancer treatment option that is right for you.  If you wish to secure a consultation appointment with one or more of the physicians on our team, please click here for more information.

 

Information on this page is provided collaboratively by the team at the Prostate Cancer Center at Saint Joseph's and has been medically reviewed by Rajesh G. Laungani, MD, 2010. Claims regarding treatment are based on years of clinical experience and industry reported data. The PCC follows American Urological Association and  National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Last Updated: January 4, 2012 (RSH)