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Prostate cancer is a controllable, slow growing but
deadly form of cancer that occurs in men, most of whom are over the age of
50. If caught early, especially before it has spread beyond the prostate gland itself, this is an eminently curable cancer.
The causes of this form of cancer are not well understood at the moment, but
certain factors have been identified. Heredity and diet are chief among
the known contributors, and a reduced-fat diet rich in tomato products and
vitamin E appears to discourage the disease.
This cancer usually strikes men later in life, and since
it advances so slowly, some will die from other causes never
knowing they had it. But when we say "strikes" that means symptoms, and that usually means it is too late for the simpler forms of
treatment.
These are some of the treatments:
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Radical Prostatectomy - the surgical removal of the
prostate gland and the seminal vesicles. Cancer that has not
spread outside the prostate is commonly treated with this
method.
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Radiation Therapy - there are two types of radiation therapy:
external-beam irradiation
and implantation of radioactive pellets
(seeds). The seed implantation procedure is called
brachytherapy.
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Hormone Therapy - this can be given by either
shots or surgery. Medications used
for these shots may include female hormones or drugs known as LHRH-agonists or nonsteroidal anti-androgens.
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Watchful Waiting - many prostate cancers are
small and grow slowly and it may not be necessary to treat the
tumor. So no treatment is given and frequent checks by the doctor are used to monitor the tumor.
We want you to know all of the treatment options
available to you. We will provide information about all treatments as soon
as they become available so that you may discuss them with your physician.
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