There are also side effects from most prostate cancer therapies that seriously affect the patient's quality of life. The most common treatment prescribed for prostate cancer is radical prostatectomy, the surgical removal of the entire gland. New surgical procedures, however, have reduced the severity of complications. Hormonal and drug therapies. If the cancer has spread beyond the prostate capsule, surgery alone will not suffice and radiation therapy or hormonal therapy must be added to treatment.
Hormonal therapy cuts off the supply of testosterone or androgens that the tumor needs to grow.
The tumor then shrinks and often goes into remission. Hormonal therapy can also be used in combination with radiation therapy, often with good results. For instance, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology held in New Orleans last May, researchers from Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia presented the results of a randomized prospective Phase III trial of androgen suppression and external beam radiation in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer. The 1,520 patients participating in the trial all received radiation and four months of treatment with Zoladex and Flutamide, drugs that suppress production and use of androgen. The patients were then randomized either to receive no additional therapy or to receive 24 months of additional Zoladex.