What are my treatment options?
Active surveillance consists of no treatment now with testing on a regular basis so that treatment can be started when needed.
Brachytherapy involves inserting radioactive pellets directly into the prostate gland.
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External beam treatment uses x-rays from an external machine to kill the cancer cells.
An operation to remove the prostate gland & the cancer inside. Several surgical methods are available. Which is best depends on your individual situation.
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How about proton beam therapy?
Proton beam therapy is another form of external radiation. Because its role is unclear It is currently an investigational treatment. This means that we do not know enough about how well it works to determine if it should be a fully recommended treatment. It is only available at special centers that require treated patients either to enroll in a clinical study or pay for the treatment out of pocket. For this reason it is not included in the dashboard at the current time. Click HERE for more information about proton beam therapy, cryotherapy, and other experimental treatments.
Proton beam therapy is another form of external radiation. Because its role is unclear It is currently an investigational treatment. This means that we do not know enough about how well it works to determine if it should be a fully recommended treatment. It is only available at special centers that require treated patients either to enroll in a clinical study or pay for the treatment out of pocket. For this reason it is not included in the dashboard at the current time. Click HERE for more information about proton beam therapy, cryotherapy, and other experimental treatments.
QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN CHOOSING WHICH TREATMENT OPTION IS BEST FOR YOU
1. How likely am I to die of prostate cancer?
In the dashboard you will be able to explore this question by looking either at the chances of dying from prostate cancer or the chances of being a prostate cancer survivor associated with each treatment option. 2. What is the chance that the prostate cancer will come back after treatment?
Usually the first sign that a prostate cancer is coming back is an increase the PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test. |