Methods Of Prostate Cancer Treatment. Part One.

Today do not exist standard methods of prostate cancer treatment because there were no performed controlled studies to compare various treatment methods. It is hard to choose optimum method for prostate cancer treatment, especially at early stages, as effectiveness of surgery, radiotherapy and expectant management is not established yet. When choosing treatment method, are considered stage of cancerous process, male age, duration of recurrence-free period, complications risks, patient's regards and doctor's facilities.

Major methods of prostate cancer treatment:
1) Expectant management.
Benefits of definitive therapy (surgery in combination with radiotherapy or hormonal treatment) of prostate cancer are not proven today. However, there exists method of expectant management in which treatment starts only when tumor is localized and has no frank growth. This method is used in older men with severe concomitant diseases and slowly growing well-differentiated tumors. Here no treatment is performed, however patient must be under permanent monitoring: he must regularly check PSA rate in his blood. You must know that even in very careful selection of patients for using this treatment method, 10% of patients die.

2) Surgery (radical prostatectomy).
Radical prostatectomy is major method of prostate cancer treatment. For the first time this surgery was performed in 1904. However, this method was not popular among patients and surgeons because of frequent complications such as incontinence of urine and impotence. Today are developed operation techniques which help to reduce to the minimum blood loss, and save normal function of bladder sphincter and sexual function.

The prognosis after surgery depends on the disease stage. At early stages  when lymphatic glands were not damaged, the rate of 10-year survival after surgery is 80%. Survival rate in cases of large invasion is 40%. Unfortunately, in cases of lymphatic glands damage and gonecyst invasion the remote metastasis are inevitable which significantly worsens the prognosis. Sometimes after surgery, when there are doubts in full removal of tumor, is used radiotherapy or hormonal therapy. However, today is not proved the effectiveness of these combinations.