Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
In the early stages, you may not have any symptoms from prostate cancer. Later symptoms of prostate cancer may include:
- Urgent, frequent or painful urination.
- ED.
- Pain in your pelvis or ribs.
- Blood in your urine or semen.
Most of these symptoms are likely caused by something other than prostate cancer. But you should discuss them with your doctor to determine their cause. You should also ask your doctor about screening for prostate cancer even if you don't have symptoms.
Tests and screening
To find out if you have prostate cancer, your doctors may do a:
- Physical exam of the rectum to check for lumps or swelling of the prostate.
- Prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test, which may indicate the presence of prostate cancer.
- Biopsy of your prostate to test for cancer cells.
Treatments
We customize your prostate cancer treatment plan based on several factors. We may recommend:
If your prostate cancer is found at a very early stage, we sometimes hold treatment and instead watch closely for any growth or changes between exams. In some cases, you may never need treatment.
In a procedure called a prostatectomy, we use the da Vinci surgical system – a robotic-assisted method that allows for great precision and small incisions – to remove the prostate gland and a few lymph nodes.
This treatment uses energy to kill cancer cells. In prostate cancer, we can use machines to deliver radiation from outside your body (external beam radiation therapy) or with radioactive seeds placed into your prostate gland (brachytherapy).
Your male hormone testosterone fuels prostate cancer growth. Hormone therapy uses medicines to lower the amount of testosterone in your body. Hormone therapy may be used for a short period or for a longer time in more advanced prostate cancers.
Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses powerful drugs to kill cancer cells. We may recommend chemotherapy if your prostate cancer has spread to other areas of the body, like the bones, called metastatic prostate cancer.
We can use the power of your immune system to fight cancer. We may recommend immunotherapy if you have metastatic prostate cancer.
