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Last Updated: Aug 6th, 2008 - 09:50:39 |
Extended Hormone Treatment Helps Prostate Cancer Patients
Long-term hormone therapy for men with locally advanced prostate cancer controls the disease better than short-term hormone therapy, researchers reported at the 2000 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. (Note: the final data were subsequently published in the Nov. 1, 2003, issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology; see the journal abstract.)
Prostate Cancer (PDQ®): Screening
What is screening?
Screening is looking for cancer before a person has any symptoms. This can help find cancer at an early stage. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat. By the time symptoms appear, cancer may have begun to spread.
Treatment Choices for Men With Early-Stage Prostate Cancer
As a man with early-stage prostate cancer, you will be able to choose which kind of treatment is right for you. There can be several reasonable options, which can make the decision difficult. And each choice has its pros and cons.
Prostate Cancer Treatment Options by Stage
Stage I Prostate Cancer
Stage II Prostate Cancer
Stage III Prostate Cancer
Stage IV Prostate Cancer
General Information About Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the prostate.
Prostate Cancer Screening
Some screening tests are used because they have been shown to be helpful both in finding cancers early and decreasing the chance of dying from these cancers. Other tests are used because they have been shown to find cancer in some people; however, it has not been proven in clinical trials that use of these tests will decrease the risk of dying from cancer.
Risks of Prostate Cancer Screening
Decisions about screening tests can be difficult. Not all screening tests are helpful and most have risks. Before having any screening test, you may want to discuss the test with your doctor. It is important to know the risks of the test and whether it has been proven to reduce the risk of dying from cancer.
Stages of Prostate Cancer
The process used to find out if cancer has spread within the prostate or to other parts of the body is called staging. The information gathered from the staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is important to know the stage in order to plan treatment.
Prostate cancer treatment Option Overview
Different types of treatment are available for patients with prostate cancer. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. Before starting treatment, patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment.
Facts about Prostate Cancer
Early-stage prostate cancer means that cancer cells are found only in your prostate gland. Compared with many other cancers, prostate cancer tends to grow more slowly. This means that it can take 10 to 30 years before a tumor gets big enough to be found or cause problems (or symptoms). Older men who have prostate cancer often die of something else, not of prostate cancer.
Thinking About Treatment Choices
Watchful waiting, surgery, and radiation therapy are the standard treatment choices for early-stage prostate cancer (see Types of Treatment). Each has benefits (how treatment can help) and risks (problems treatment may cause). There is seldom just one "right" treatment choice.
Comparing Your Treatment Options
Below are some questions you may be thinking about. Click on the question to learn more.
Prostate Cancer Prevention
The prostate is a gland in males that is involved in the production of semen. It is located between the bladder and the rectum. The normal prostate gland is the size of a walnut and surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder.
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