Latest Treatments for Recurrent Prostate Cancer Overview

Latest Treatments for Recurrent Prostate Cancer Overview
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How is It Determined What the Best Treatment Will Be

The latest treatments for recurrent prostate cancer are important to know because it has been determined that at least 40 percent of the men that have been treated for prostate cancer have a recurrent episode of this condition.

To determine which treatment to take will depend on the treatment that was taken during the first time that it occurred. The first initial treatment for prostate cancer is radiation, medications, chemotherapy or surgical removal of the cancer itself.

A physician will take into account what treatment was used the first time before making the decision on what the next treatment will be. This is because sometimes the first treatment can leave the body weak and it would be important not to use aggressive forms of treatment or it could cause further damage. How the body responded to the first treatment will be a determining factor of what the next treatment will be.

Biological Therapy

Biological therapy is sometimes known as biotherapy, biological therapy or immunotherapy. This type of therapy makes use of the body’s own immune system to fight the cancer.

This type of treatment is similar to chemotherapy; however, it does not use the drugs that are involved in that type of treatment. Biological response modifiers are produced in a laboratory and can be given to the patient in a shot, pill or by an IV without the side effects of chemotherapy.

Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy reduces the level of male hormones because it deprives the cancer cells the male hormones that it needs to survive. This type of therapy can be effective for several years.

Hormone reducing medications are given to the person so that his body will stop producing the male hormone; therefore, it kills the cancer cells and prevents them from further growth.

The medications often used in this type of treatment are Eulexin, Casodex and Nilandron.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is a treatment where the cancer on the prostate is frozen. When this method is used, it freezes the cancerous cells until they die.

This method of treatment has been proven to work and has a success rate of 70% of the men that have it.This therapy is a good replacement therapy that is often used because the radiation treatment prior to recurrent of the disease did not work.

Prostatectomy

This type of procedure is a surgical one that removes the part of the prostate and the surrounding tissues surrounding the prostate that are affected by the cancer cells.

The surgery performed when radiation therapy has failed to prevent the cancer cells from reoccurring. Sometimes prostatectomy is used to remove the entire prostate and surrounding areas involved. When the whole prostate has to be removed, it then called a radical prostatectomy.

This procedure is usually the last option that is used when fighting prostate cancer unless the cancer has already shown signs of spreading to other parts of the body.

These latest treatments for recurrent prostate cancer offer hope to men that face the recurrence of this type of cancer.

On a Special Note

It is important to ask questions and seek guidance from a physician who can suggest the proper treatment of recurrent prostate cancer. There is research and studies conducted every day that is aimed at curing this disease.

References

National Cancer Institute

Clinical Cancer Research

The Journal of Urology

Gold Journal