Prostate Cancer Treatments:

• Surgery ñ best results for long-term survival if confined prostate cancer.

  • Partial or Radical Prostatectomy
  • Cryosurgery

• Radiation ñ best results for long-term survival if cancer is not confined to the prostate.

  • External Beam
  • Brachytherapy (radioactive pellet seeding)

• Hormonal Therapy ñ to block or stop production of androgens in the prostate.

  • Antiandrogenic progestins
  • GnRH antagonists
  • Estrogen administration

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Surgery & Radiation complications ñ damage to urinary tract and nerves needed for erection; incontinence and impotence.

Hormonal therapy can be neoadjuvant, given before radiation or surgery, or adjuvant, given after radiation or surgery. The advantage of neoadjuvant hormonal therapy is that it can reduce the size of a tumor so that it is more susceptible to radiation. The advantage of adjuvant hormonal therapy, is that it can eradicate any missed cancer cells.

Hormonal therapy complications ñ impotence, feminization, hot flashes, loss of libido, energy and bone density.