Best prostate cancer treatment options

Prostate cancer is a malignant neoplasm in the prostate gland. Usually, it spreads slowly, and a patient has time to choose the best treatment option according to the disease stage. However, there are cases when prostate cancer is aggressive and affects the man's organism very fast.

In this article, you will know about the best therapies, latest developments for prostate cancer treatment, and where you can receive them.

If you need to start the best treatment for prostate cancer, submit a request on our website. We will provide you hospitals and prices for a particular therapy.

• Radical prostatectomy
• Radiotherapy (external and brachytherapy)
• Proton beam therapy for prostate cancer
• HIFU for prostate cancer
• Cryotherapy for prostate cancer
• Drug therapies for prostate cancer
• FAQs

Radical prostatectomy

Prostatectomy is a surgery to remove the prostate gland and surrounding lymph nodes in some cases (if the metastases are in the lymph nodes). This is one of the best treatment options for prostate cancer at the early stages — 5-year survival rate is 90%.

There are 3 main ways to perform prostatectomy:

Open prostatectomy

This is considered a traditional approach to carry out prostatectomy. It is used rarely due to its high injury rare and frequent side effects (blood loss, nerve damage, erectile and urinary dysfunction). The open prostatectomy costs less than laparoscopic or robotic-assisted ones. It is the best treatment option for those men who have a big prostate gland, and whose who do not consider an erectile dysfunction as complication (older men in most of the cases) as far as it usually occurs after the open prostatectomy.

A surgeon operates through a single long incision (about 12 cm) made in the lower abdomen. A doctor removes the prostate gland and surrounding affected lymph nodes through this incision.

When you are still under anesthesia, a doctor places a catheter in the penis to drain the bladder. It is taken away in 1-2 weeks after the open prostatectomy, and then a patient urinates in a normal way.

The admission period: a few days

Limitation of sport activity: several weeks.

Laparoscopic prostatectomy

Laparoscopic approach for prostatectomy a newer treatment option for prostate cancer compared to the open one. A doctor operates through 6-7 incisions (1-2 cm) instead of one 12 cm cut. Long instruments with a special camera are used to remove the prostate gland. The camera helps a doctor seeing inside the patient's body and avoid mistake during surgery.

Compared to the open prostatectomy, the laparoscopic one has such advantages over it:

• reduced pain and blood loss
• shorter admission — 1 day
• faster recovery time.

Robotic-assisted prostatectomy

Robotic-assisted or Da Vinci prostatectomy is among the latest developments for surgical prostate cancer treatment. This is performed the same way as laparoscopic prostatectomy but is conducted with the help of robotic system. A doctor manages and controls operation remotely, sitting at a special panel. The system precisely "understands" a surgeon's movements and transmits them to the robot. As a result, the robot operates very accurately without making mistakes.

Advantages of the robotic-assisted prostatectomy over the laparoscopic one:

• less blood loss and pain
• reduced recovery time
• less side effects — erectile and urinating functions are preserved in most of the cases.

Risks of prostatectomy

Prostatectomy is a surgical intervention to the patient's body and that's why can cause such complications as:

• bleeding
• damage of nearby organs
• blood clots in the lungs or legs
• unexpectable reaction to anesthesia.

Side effects after prostatectomy:

Among the most frequent side effects after prostatectomy are:

• Urinary incontinence. Normal urinating usually returns in several weeks/months after the surgery.
• Erectile dysfunction. The recovery of this function mostly depends on a patient's age and returns slowly (within 2 years). However, the skills of your surgeon or physician can have a significant impact on this outcome, so it’s important to select your team carefully.
• Orgasm changing. It can become less intensive or disappear at all.
• Fertility loss. The testicles produce sperm after the surgery, but a man cannot become a father in the usual way. If you plan to have children, you can freeze the sperm before the intervention or to extract sperm directly from the testicles for insemination.
• Inguinal hernia. The chances for developing this disease increase after prostatectomy in the future.

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Radiotherapy for prostate cancer

Radiotherapy is among the best options for prostate cancer treatment. Radiotherapy cures a malignant tumor of the prostate gland with high-powered energy that kills cancer cells. Radiotherapy is indicated to treat prostate cancer in case of:

• low-grade prostate cancer
• prostate cancer that has spread outside the gland
• the disease recurs after prostatectomy
• advanced cancer to relieve symptoms.

There are 2 types of radiotherapy for prostate cancer treatment:

• external radiotherapy
• internal radiotherapy (brachytherapy).

External radiation therapy for prostate cancer

This type of radiotherapy is the best option to treat prostate cancer at the early stages or to relieve symptoms at the advanced. The therapy is performed on special linear accelerator moving around the patient's body. This device directs beams that target prostate cancer cells.

The accuracy of this method is high, as a result, malignant tissues die but healthy ones are minimally affected.

How is radiotherapy carried out?

• the therapy is performed on an outpatient basis, no admission is required
• a patient attends the medical center 5 days a week for several weeks to receive treatment
• the procedure is painless and takes several minutes.

Side effects of external radiotherapy for prostate cancer:

• Bowel problems. Despite the high accuracy of irradiation, the rectum can be affected during the treatment. That is why it can lead to diarrhea or blood in the stool. In most of the cases, these conditions disappear soon.
• Urinary problems. The radiation may affect the bladder and cause radiation cystitis. A patient can have a burning sensation with urination and visit toilet more often. This side effect disappears over time in most of the cases.
• Erectile problems. This problem may occur in few years after prostate cancer treatment with radiation. The older patient is, the higher risk of this side effect is.
• Tiredness. It can appear after radiotherapy cycle and goes away in several weeks/months after the treatment.

Submit a request to book the best hospital for prostate cancer treatment with radiotherapy.

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Brachytherapy for prostate cancer treatment

Among the latest advances in prostate cancer treatment is brachytherapy. This is an internal radiotherapy to destroy malignant cells inside the prostate gland. This treatment option supposes placing of radiation seeds (about 1-2 mm in size) into the prostate. About 100 such seeds are required, but the final number depends on the prostate gland size.

How is brachytherapy for prostate cancer conducted?

• a patient is under spinal or general anesthesia
• a doctor places the seed into the prostate gland using long fine needles inserted in the area between the anus and scrotum
• the seeds are delivered in the prostate gland, while the needles are taken away
• 1 day of admission after the procedure.

The seeds stay in the prostate gland for weeks/months until they kill malignant cells. These seeds irradiate the tumor directly without affecting healthy tissues.

The seeds will be withdrawn themselves during urination.

A patient leads the usual lifestyle during the treatment. However, such side effects may occur:

• Bowel problems. In rare cases, irradiation by brachytherapy may influence the rectum. As a result, a patient observes diarrhea, rectal pain, burning.
• Urinary problems. Some men have more frequent urination after brachytherapy. But this symptom disappears in several weeks.
• Erectile problems. This side effect is less common than after brachytherapy. However, it also takes place in some cases. Erectile function regains quite fast if a man had an active sexual life and good health before this treatment option.

Still, brachytherapy is one of the best treatment options for prostate cancer in early stages as far as it shows excellent results and allows preserving the prostate gland.

Choose a hospital for brachytherapy

Proton beam therapy for prostate cancer

Proton beam therapy is irradiation of malignant cells with proton particles instead of X-ray beams (like radiotherapy). Proton therapy is among the latest developments in prostate cancer treatment. It shows good results for localized and aggressive prostate malignancy. Proton beam therapy is a great alternative to surgery and X-ray irradiation.

Benefits of proton therapy for prostate cancer:

• more precise and less harmful compared to radiotherapy
• destroys even hard-to-reach malignant cells
• minimal impact on the surrounding tissues and vital organs (bladder, rectum), as a result, side effects are reduced
• minimal risk of impotence
• painless procedure
• no admission required.

How is proton therapy for prostate cancer performed?

• A patient attends the hospital to receive the proton therapy every day during 8 weeks.
• Each treatment cycle takes 15-25 minutes
• Then a patient need to undergo a follow up to observe the result.

Proton therapy does not cause side effects in most of the cases. Patients lead usual sexual and routine lifestyle, continue working and going in for sports.

Book hospital for proton therapy

HIFU for prostate cancer treatment

HIFU (High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound) for prostate cancer is a treatment option to influence malignant cells with ultrasound heated up to 90°C. The effectiveness of the method ranges between 86-99%. Due to this, HIFU is among the best treatment options for prostate cancer at early stages.

Advantages of HIFU for prostate cancer:

• Non-invasive treatment (no scars or incisions); a special HIFU probe is inserted in the rectum to easily reach the prostate gland.
• Ultrasound waves cause less harm to the neighboring tissues compared to radiotherapy.
• The prostate gland in preserved unlike after prostatectomy.

How is HIFU for prostate cancer processed?

• the procedure takes 2-3 hours, a patient is under spinal anesthesia
• a doctor inserts an ultrasound probe in the rectum to direct the waves on the tumor
• destroyed malignant cells are expelled from the body later in a natural way
• after the procedure, a patient needs to urinate through the catheter for 4 weeks.

Possibles side effects caused by HIFU:

• Erectile problems (in 30-70% of patients) may be temporary or permanent.
• Urinating problems (incontinence, frequent urination, burning).
• Rectal injury (caused by the HIFU probe).

Book hospital for HIFU treatment

Cryotherapy for prostate cancer

Cryotherapy is a minimally invasive procedure to destroy malignant cells in the prostate gland with extremely low temperatures. Cancer cells are frozen and die. Cryotherapy is the best treatment option for patients with prostate cancer at the initial stages and is applied after radiotherapy in case the disease recurs.

How is cryotherapy for prostate cancer performed?

• A patient is under local anesthetic.
• A doctor places an ultrasound probe in the patient's rectum.
• Several thin metal probes are inserted in the area between the scrotum and the anus to reach the prostate gland.
• A doctor controls the right placing of the needles watching ultrasound images.
• An argon gas goes through the needles to freeze the prostate tissues.
• A doctor places a catheter to withdraw the urine after the surgery.
• After cryotherapy, you need 1 night of admission. The catheter will be taken off in 2 weeks after the procedure. The blood loss after cryotherapy is minimal. To avoid infection, a patient needs to take antibiotics.

Side effects of cryotherapy for prostate cancer:

• burning sensations in case the bladder or rectum are affected by freezing
• swelling of penis and scrotum
• erectile dysfunction (is a quite common side effect)
• urinary incontinence — it is rare if cryotherapy was the primary treatment option for prostate cancer, and quite frequent if it is performed after radiotherapy.

An innovative approach to cryotherapy makes this option effective and safe for the treatment of patients with prostate cancer. Submit a request to receive a cost estimate of cryotherapy in your case.

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Drug therapies for prostate cancer

There are 2 main types of prostate cancer treatment with medications — hormone and chemotherapies. Depending on the case, they may be applied as a primary treatment option or in combination with another one.

Hormone therapy for prostate cancer

Hormone therapy is used in case of prostate cancer to reduce the level of male hormones stimulating tumor growth. Among these hormones are testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. Hormone therapy is considered the best treatment option for prostate cancer if it has spread in the remote organs, cancer recurs, in combination with radiotherapy to avoid cancer relapse.

Chemotherapy for prostate cancer

Chemotherapy is anti-cancer drugs that reach bloodstream and throughout the body to destroy cancer cells spread far beyond the prostate gland.

Chemotherapy can be used in combination with hormone therapy or after prostatectomy.

Submit a request to get a cost estimate of prostate cancer treatment in your case.

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Xofigo Radium 223 for metastatic prostate cancer

Xofigo Radium 223 is one of the latest advances to treat prostate cancer with metastases in the bone. This is a radioactive therapeutic drug administered intravenously. As a result, metastases in the bones stop their spread and a patient can live for decades with prostate cancer stage 4. This is a useful option for patients aged over 65-70 years.

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FAQs about prostate cancer treatment

How to choose the best treatment option for prostate cancer treatment?

Only a doctor can determine what prostate cancer treatment is the best in your case. The choice of adequate therapy depends on many factors: disease stage, its aggressiveness, patient's age, general health condition.

How to choose the hospital for the best prostate cancer treatment?

When choosing the best hospital for prostate cancer treatment, pay attention to such factors as:

• Hospital's certifications/accreditations. The quality of medical services in a particular hospital must be confirmed at the international level. Check whether the medical center has such certificates as JCI, ESMO, or others.
• Doctor's experience. A key factor to the successful prostate cancer treatment is the right choice of the doctor. Pay attention whether a specialist has much experience in prostate cancer treatment, participates in the international associations, practices in top world's hospitals, applies the latest technologies.
• Equipment level. Only centers with advanced technologies can provide the best treatment for prostate cancer. Among the latest treatment options are brachytherapy (internal radiotherapy), robotic prostatectomy, Radium 223, etc.

Submit a request to get a consultation where you can get the best treatment for prostate cancer.

What are the latest advances in prostate cancer treatment?

Among the latest advances for prostate cancer are proton beam therapy, HIFU, brachytherapy, Radium 223, etc. They are safe and show excellent results. Only a doctor can determine which option is the best for prostate cancer treatment.

Do erectile dysfunction and urination problems occur after prostate cancer treatment?

These side effects frequently occur after each treatment option. However, the intensity of these problems differs. In some cases, erectile and urinating functions are preserved completely. The outcome depends on a patient's age, prostate cancer stage, and options chosen for prostate cancer.

Can I get the best prostate cancer treatment in the shortest term?

Yes, you can. You need to submit a request on Bookimed website, and our manager will help you in choosing the best hospital. Bookimed cooperates with the leading hospitals directly. So with us, you avoid queues and start treatment immediately.

Where can I receive cost-effective prostate cancer treatment?

The cost of prostate cancer treatment significantly depends on the hospital's location. For instance, Indian and Turkish hospitals offer the most affordable therapy for prostate cancer — 2-3 times cheaper than in Germany or South Korea. Cheap prices are explained by the general price policy within the countries. If you look for the Da Vinci prostatectomy, pay attention to the hospital in the Czech Republic — there is the most cost-effective price for this procedure.

Submit a request to get more info about the cost-effective offers for prostate cancer.

Can I get the second medical opinion regarding the best prostate cancer treatment?

Yes, you can. Bookimed can arrange online or personal consultation with one out top prostate cancer doctors.

How to arrange treatment to another country?

Book a hospital for treatment

• Submit a request on Bookimed.
• Bookimed manager will contact you to answer all questions and assist in choosing the hospital for treatment.
• You receive a personal cost estimate of prostate cancer treatment.
• If you approve the bill, the hospital will be ready to accept you within several days.