Introduction To Treatment | Azure
Once the proper Stage of Blue is assigned, the different treatments appropriate for that Stage can be considered. Overall, there are four broad categories of treatment available for prostate cancer: observation, local treatments, systemic treatments, and combination therapy.
Observation
Observation, commonly known as “active surveillance,” is the process of monitoring the cancer while reserving medical intervention until some aggressive behavior is detected.
Local Treatments
Strategies that focus treatment on the prostate gland are called “local” treatments. Examples are surgery, radioactive seed implantation, varieties of external beam radiation therapy (IMRT, Proton, SBRT), and cryosurgery. In addition, “focal” treatment options have been developed in which only a subsection of the gland is treated.
Systemic Treatments
The main danger from prostate cancer is the possibility of cancer spreading outside the prostate. Men with metastases (or potential microscopic metastases) require systemic treatment that circulates through the blood and treats cancer throughout the whole body. Examples of systemic treatments are hormonal therapies, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and Xofigo.
Combination Therapy
When a local treatment is combined with a systemic treatment, or if multiple systemic treatments are used at the same time, it is called “combination therapy.” When combination therapy is being considered with the goal of improving survival, the survival advantages need to be balanced against the potential for greater side effects.
Mark Scholz, MD is the Executive Director of the Prostate Cancer Research Institute. He is also the Medical Director of Prostate Oncology Specialists Inc. He received his medical degree from Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Dr. Scholz completed his Internal Medicine internship and Medical Oncology fellowship at University of Southern California Medical Center. He is co-author of Invasion of the Prostate Snatchers. He has authored over 20 scientific publications related to the treatment of prostate cancer.