Prostate cancer treatment: surgical and oncological

The type of treatment chosen always depends on the examining physician, who assesses the patient's age, medical history, the type and nature of the cancer, the stage of the disease and, last but not least, the patient's lifestyle.

The first treatment option is hormonal pharmacotherapy, where the patient is injected with hormones antiadrogens that eliminate the synthesis (production) of the male sex hormone testosterone.

This type of treatment is usually associated with the application of radiotherapy or chemotherapy to destroy the abnormal prostate tissue.

In prostate cancer, brachyradiotherapy is used, which consists of the introduction of radioactive grains into the prostate and subsequent monitoring. It is therefore a form of ionising radiation placed close to the site of the prostate tumour.

The second treatment option, especially in more advanced stages of the disease, is surgery to remove the abnormal tumour cells and the damaged part of the prostate tissue.

The most common surgical procedures for prostate cancer are prostatectomy and orchiectomy.

Prostatectomy involves the removal or surgical removal of the prostate gland. In orchiectomy, the seminal vesicles are removed to stop the production of hormones that potentially nourish prostate cancer.

Prostatectomy can be performed by different surgical procedures and the choice depends on the examining physician and the surgeon.

After a radical prostatectomy, the entire prostate gland is removed, which means subsequent sterility (infertility) of the man.

In most cases, there will be a full recovery.

If there is some disruption of the surrounding nerves and blood vessels during surgery, there may be mild urinary incontinence or some erectile dysfunction after surgery. However, these complications are unlikely given the advanced surgical methods.

Other local (experimental) treatments for prostate cancer consist of cryotherapy - destruction of prostate tissue by freezing or ablation of the prostate with a device - concentrated high-intensity ultrasound.