Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer is a cancer of the small, walnut-shaped gland near the urinary bladder in men which produces seminal fluid, nourishes and transports the sperm. Located in front of the rectum and just below the bladder where the urine is stored, the prostate also surrounds the urethra (the canal through which urine passes out of the body). For the Elderly (Older men aged especially at their 60s) are at a higher risk of this disease and would require prostate cancer treatment at the earliest.

Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer include:

• Since the above mentioned symptoms can potentially indicate the presence of other diseases or disorders, men who experience any of these symptoms should undergo a thorough check-up to determine the underlying cause of the symptoms.
• A blood test for a protein known as Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)
• An ultrasound examination through the rectum is suggested, usually, after the doctor has examined the prostate through the rectum (Digital Rectal Examination - DRE)

Treatment

Prostate cancer treatment methods may vary case-by-case as per patient, some of the common types are:

• Radiation Therapy: Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy to kill cancer cells. Prostate cancer radiation therapy treatment can be delivered in ways. During external beam radiation therapy(ie Prostate cancer treatment without surgery), the patient lies on a table while a machine moves around the body directing high-powered energy beams to the cancer. The patient undergoes external beam radiation treatments five days a week for several weeks. External beam radiation uses x-rays or protons to deliver the radiation.
• Hormone Therapy: Hormone therapy is treatment to stop the body from producing the male hormone testosterone. This method of treatment in prostate cancer is known as testosterone suppression treatment. Prostate cancer cells rely on testosterone to help them grow. Cutting off the supply of hormones may cause cancer cells to die or to grow more slowly.
• Chemotherapy: Chemo in prostate cancer treatment uses drugs to kill rapidly growing cells, including cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be administered through a vein in your arm, in pill form or both.Chemotherapy may be a treatment option for men with prostate cancer especially when it has become metastatic (spread to distant areas of their bodies). Chemotherapy may also be an option for cancers that don't respond to hormone therapy. Multiple new chemotherapy drugs have recently been approved for treatment of progressive, metastatic prostate cancer.
• Immunotherapy: A form of immunotherapy has been developed to treat advanced and recurrent prostate cancer. This treatment takes some of the patient own immune cells, genetically engineers them to fight prostate cancer, and then injects the cells back into the patient body through a vein. Some men do respond to this therapy with some improvement in their cancer, but the treatment is very expensive and requires multiple visits.