Treatment options ; Some common treatments for prostate cancer are: If your doctor thinks your prostate cancer is unlikely to grow quickly, he or she may recommend that you don't treat the cancer right away. Instead, you can choose to wait and see if you get symptoms in one of two ways: A prostatectomy is an operation where doctors remove the prostate. Radical prostatectomy removes the prostate as well as the seminal vesicles (glands that produce the fluids that will turn into semen). Using high...
Cancer in this area is called prostate cancer, and early prostate cancer doesn't require the surgical removal of the whole prostate as the cancer is often present in parts of the inner prostate. But since the prostate cannot be partially removed with conventional prostate cancer surgery, such as robotic surgery, the whole prostate should be removed even in the early stages of cancer. And such surgery causes complications including urinary incontinence ...
When might radiation therapy be used? ; As the first treatment for cancer that is still just in the prostate gland (especially if the cancer is in a lower risk group). Cure rates for men with these types of cancers are about the same as those for men treated with radical prostatectomy. Radiopharmaceuticals (medicines containing radiation that are injected into the body) ; Brachytherapy combined with external radiation is sometimes an option for men who have a higher risk of the cancer growing outside the prostate. Loss of appetite ...
The most common type of radiation therapy is external beam radiation, which uses high-energy X-rays that are delivered from outside of the body. Brachytherapy is different. It delivers radiation therapy with a small radioactive pellet, or source, that is about the size of a grain of rice. The source is positioned precisely inside the patient’s body, close to or inside the tumor. In some cases, the sources remain in place for just a few minutes. Other times, they are left in place for several m...
My dad had prostate cancer when he was 66, so I never miss my annual physical and routine bloodwork. In August 2021, when my prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test came back high, I found a local urologist and had a digital rectal exam, followed by an MRI. The MRI results showed abnormal concerns for cancer. So, on Jan. 11, 2022, I had a biopsy. Two weeks later, I found out I had prostate cancer. I remember feeling fear and panic. The urologist suggested I undergo surgery. He explained I could exp...
Short-term urinary side effects after prostate brachytherapy are common, follow a predictable course, and typically resolve within 1 year. Conservative management of short-term urinary side effects...
But more recently, doctors have been using a more advanced form of brachytherapy called MRI-assisted radiosurgery (MARS), which enables them to deliver the radiation directly to the tumor while protecting the healthy tissues nearby. We discussed the benefits of MRI-Assisted Radiosurgery used with brachytherapy treatment with Steven Frank, M.D. , who developed the Food and Drug Administration-approved positive-contrast MRI marker tec ...
For prostate cancers that haven’t spread (stages I to III), doctors also use risk groups (based on how far the prostate tumor has grown, PSA level, grade, and prostate biopsy results) and sometimes special lab tests to help guide treatment options. Risk groups range from very low-risk to very high-risk. Cancers in the lower-risk groups have a smaller chance of growing and spreading compared to those in higher-risk groups. Other factors, such as your age, overall health, life expectancy, and pe...
Care at Cleveland Clinic ; Prostate Cancer Treatment · Find a Doctor and Specialists · Make an Appointment
Find out when doctors recommend radiation therapy for prostate cancer, how the treatments work, and what the side effects can be.