Prostate Cancer
Short Description:
Prostate cancer is a common malignant tumor that is usually found when prostate cancer cells grow and spread in the male body, and its incidence increases with age. Although early diagnosis and treatment are very important, some treatments can still help slow the progression of the disease and improve the survival rate of patients. Prostate cancer can occur at any age, but it is usually the most common in men over the age of 60. Most prostate cancer patients are men, but there may also be women and homosexuals.
The treatment of prostate cancer depends on many factors, including the size, location and number of tumors, the patient's health and the goals of the treatment plan.
Radiotherapy is a treatment that uses radiation to kill or shrink a tumor. It is commonly used to treat early prostate cancer and cancers that spread to other parts of the prostate. Radiotherapy can be done either externally or internally. External irradiation treats the tumor by applying radiopharmaceuticals to the tumor and then absorbing radiation through the skin. Internal radiation is treated by implanting radioactive particles into the patient's body and then passing it through the blood to the tumor.
Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses chemicals to kill or shrink tumors. It is commonly used to treat early prostate cancer and cancers that spread to other parts of the prostate. Chemotherapy can be done orally or intravenously.
Surgery is a method of diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer by resection or biopsy. Performed either externally or internally, surgery is usually used for early prostate cancer and cancer that spreads to other parts of the prostate. Surgery for prostate cancer involves removing the prostate gland (radical prostatectomy), some surrounding tissue and a few lymph nodes. Surgery is an option for treating cancer that's confined to the prostate. It's sometimes used to treat advanced prostate cancer in combination with other treatments.
We also offer patients with Ablative therapies, which can destroy prostate tissue with cold or heat. Options may include:
● Freezing prostate tissue. Cryoablation or cryotherapy for prostate cancer involves using a very cold gas to freeze the prostate tissue. The tissue is allowed to thaw and the procedure repeats. The cycles of freezing and thawing kill the cancer cells and some surrounding healthy tissue.
● Heating prostate tissue. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment uses concentrated ultrasound energy to heat the prostate tissue and cause it to die.
These treatments may be considered for treating very small prostate cancers when surgery isn't possible. They may also be used to treat advanced prostate cancers if other treatments, such as radiation therapy, haven't helped.
Researchers are studying whether cryotherapy or HIFU to treat one part of the prostate might be an option for cancer that's confined to the prostate. Referred to as "focal therapy," this strategy identifies the area of the prostate that contains the most aggressive cancer cells and treats that area only. Studies have found that focal therapy reduces the risk of side effects.
Immunotherapy uses your immune system to fight cancer. Your body's disease-fighting immune system may not attack your cancer because the cancer cells produce proteins that help them hide from the immune system cells. Immunotherapy works by interfering with that process.
● Engineering your cells to fight cancer. Sipuleucel-T (Provenge) treatment takes some of your own immune cells, genetically engineers them in a laboratory to fight prostate cancer and then injects the cells back into your body through a vein. It's an option for treating advanced prostate cancer that no longer responds to hormone therapy.
● Helping your immune system cells identify cancer cells. Immunotherapy drugs that help the immune system cells identify and attack the cancer cells are an option for treating advanced prostate cancers that no longer respond to hormone therapy.
Targeted drug treatments focus on specific abnormalities present within cancer cells. By blocking these abnormalities, targeted drug treatments can cause cancer cells to die. Some targeted therapies only work in people whose cancer cells have certain genetic mutations. Your cancer cells may be tested in a laboratory to see if these drugs might help you.
In short, prostate cancer is a serious disease, and a variety of treatments are needed to slow down the progression of the disease and improve the survival rate of patients. It is very important for early diagnosis and treatment, because early diagnosis and treatment can not only reduce tumor mortality, but also reduce tumor severity and improve the quality of life.