What Is the Most Popular Treatment for Prostate Cancer?

Finding appropriate treatment for prostate cancer is essential to increase the survival rate. Individuals diagnosed with prostate cancer have some treatment options that are recommended by healthcare providers. But what is the most popular treatment for prostate cancer?

It is rather difficult to point out a specific treatment and claim it to be the best. But in most cases, the treatment heavily depends on the stage of cancer. That’s why it becomes essential to detect how advanced the cancer is. Scroll through and learn more about popular treatments for different stages.

 

Stages of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer, just as with most types of cancer, is categorized into four stages from Stage 1 to Stage 4. Every stage represents the spread of cancer with Stage 1 refers to the mildest while Stage 4 indicates the most advanced.

Here are four different stages of prostate cancer you should know:

• Stage 1: Early stage of cancer in which the tumor is small and remains in the prostate gland.
  
  
• Stage 2: The tumor is growing but it hasn’t spread to the other tissues or organs.
  
  
• Stage 3: The growth is larger and cancer cells may have spread outside the prostate gland.
  
  
• Stage 4: Most advanced stage, cancer cells have spread beyond the prostate.

What Is the Most Popular Treatment for Prostate Cancer?

The best treatment for prostate cancer is the one that meets the specific needs of the patient. Every patient may have different signs and symptoms, thus the doctor or healthcare providers must determine the best treatment options based on the stage and patient’s specific needs.

Following are the most popular treatment for prostate cancer according to their stages:

1. Stage 1

Stage 1 prostate cancer is the least advanced. Active surveillance is the best management strategy for almost all patients. During active surveillance, the doctor monitors cancer over time to determine if the patient needs further treatment.

In addition to active surveillance, radical prostatectomy can be another treatment option. It involves surgical procedures to remove the prostate gland. Radiation therapy can also be recommended, either alone or combined with prostate removal.

2. Stage 2

Men diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer may be suggested surgical removal of the prostate cancer and surrounding lymph nodes. This is the most effective way to ditch cancerous cells and stop them from affecting other tissues.

Hormone therapy can be given to selected patients who have more than 50 percent of the positive scores for their biopsy test. This therapy is combined with radiation therapy in form of an external beam. Active surveillance is also needed in this stage.

3. Stage 3

What is the most popular treatment for prostate cancer in stage 3? With cancer cells have spread to tissues and organs close to the prostate, hormone therapy and external beam radiation (external beam and brachytherapy) are the most common treatment option for this stage.

Radical prostatectomy can also be suggested to remove lymph nodes in the pelvis. This treatment may be followed by radiation therapy. In this stage, active surveillance is no longer an option because the patient requires extra treatment.

4. Stage 4

The most popular treatment options for stage 4 prostate cancer include hormone therapy, external beam radiation, and prostate removal. Your doctor or healthcare provider may also recommend chemotherapy to kill cancerous cells, thus it doesn’t spread to other parts of the body.

In case cancer has affected bone tissue, radiation therapy targeting bones is required. Depending on the affected area, other treatments may also be suggested.

What is the most popular treatment for prostate cancer? There is no specific treatment that is claimed to be effective to treat prostate cancer. The treatment options must be determined based on the stage and further condition of the patient.