One out of seven American men age 55 and older will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. The following options for treatment, are available depending upon the stage of the disease when diagnosed. This is a controversial approach that is sometimes recommended for older men. Under this approach, physicians monitor the patients through periodic examinations instead of immediately beginning aggressive treatment. This therapy has become the standard treatment for those whose cancer has extended beyond the prostate.
Prostate cancer is dependent on the presence of male hormones called androgens.
In the early stages of the disease, these hormones hasten the growth of cancer. In hormonal therapy, physicians attempt to arrest this growth by eliminating or withdrawing the hormones. This can be accomplished by removing the testes where most of the primary male hormone, testosterone, is produced. Another method of hormone treatment may include the administration of drugs such as estrogen or androgen antagonists or inhibitors. If the cancer has not spread beyond the prostate, the prostate and surrounding tissue may be surgically removed.