Treatment by Stage Information

Treatment of cancer of the prostate depends on the stage of the disease, and the patient's age and overall health. A doctor may choose to follow the patient's condition more closely rather than starting treatment immediately. This decision depends on whether the patient has symptoms of the disease, is elderly, has another more serious illness, or has only slightly abnormal tumor cells.

Standard treatment may be considered because of its effectiveness in patients in past studies, or participation in a clinical trial may be considered. Not all patients are cured with standard therapy and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired. For these reasons, clinical trials are designed to find better ways to treat cancer patients and are based on the most up-to-date information. Clinical trials are ongoing in most parts of the country for most stages of cancer of the prostate.

Stage I (A) Prostate Cancer
Treatment may be one of the following:

Stage IV (D) Prostate Cancer

Treatment may be one of the following:

1. Hormone therapy.
2. Radiation therapy.
3. Radiation therapy to relieve symptoms caused by the cancer.
4. Surgery to relieve symptoms caused by the cancer.
5. If the patient is older or has another more serious illness, a doctor may follow the patient's condition closely without treatment. The doctor may choose this option because the cancer is not causing any symptoms or other problems, and may be growing slowly.
6. A clinical trial of surgery to remove the prostate and the tissue around it (radical prostatectomy) and surgery to remove the testicles (orchiectomy).
7. A clinical trial of systemic chemotherapy

Recurrent Prostate Cancer

Treatment depends on many things, including what treatment the patient had before. If the patient had surgery to remove the prostate (prostatectomy) and the cancer comes back in only a small area, radiation therapy may be given. If the disease has spread to other parts of the body, hormone therapy will probably be given. Radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be given to relieve symptoms, such as bone pain. Patients may also choose to take part in a clinical trial of chemotherapy or biological therapy.