Castration is routinely advised along with antibiotic treatment of acute or chronic bacterial prostatitis to immediately reduce testosterone's effects on the prostate. Medical strategies to alter hormonal stimulation without reducing fertility may be elected for patients with acute or chronic prostatitis. For successful management of prostatitis, surgical castration is preferred if there is no intent to spare fertility. Castration does not, however, protect against prostatic cancer, which occurs with similar frequency in castrated and intact male dogs. If a dog patient appears to have meaningful prostatic disease, based on clinical signs and changes visible on x-rays and ultrasound, and he is known to be castrated, and free of hormonal supplementation, then prostatic cancer is the most likely diagnosis.
Prostatic adenocarcinoma is a malignancy that arises from the secretory cells of the prostate.
This cancer is considered an aggressive malignancy that tends to spread rapidly to the regional lymph nodes or bones of the pelvis as it metastasizes. By the time of diagnosis of PAC, most dogs have advanced disease for which there is no consistently successful treatment. Castration may improve lower gastrointestinal or urinary signs if BPH or prostatic inflammation are also present, but generally, a tumor won't be influenced by alterations in hormone levels. Surgical specialists may offer prostatectomy or surgical removal of the cancerous tissue, concurrent with urinary redirection. Such radical surgeries are rarely encouraged because they are unlikely to be curative and they may not improve the pet's quality of life.