Prostate Cancer Shouldn’t Be Underestimated

While the majority of the 180,000 American men diagnosed with prostate cancer annually generally receive strong prognosis reports, this is not always the case. An estimated 26,000 American men do die from this disease annually. Many of those men happen suffer from a form known as metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer.

 

Metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer is a form of the disease that involves spread to other parts of the body. This cancer is able to continue growing and spreading despite the use of interventions meant to lower the amount of male sex hormones in the body. These hormones often serve as the fuel to grow prostate cancer. In other forms of the disease, cutting off the hormone supply or limiting it can help with cancer control. This is just not the case with castration resistant forms of the disease.

 

Men who are diagnosed with this form of the disease will find there are a number of treatments available. None of the options, however, are guarantees of success with this particularly aggressive form of cancer. The treatments include hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, among others.

 

Due to its surprisingly strong overall survival rates and the fact that many forms of prostate cancer are very slow growing, men may automatically think a diagnosis of the disease is not a big deal. Although it is true some men with low-risk forms of the disease are treated with “watchful waiting,” this is not recommended in castration-resistant forms. Men will find aggressive treatments are often necessary to help them control this type and improve outcome chances.

 

All men are at risk for the development of prostate cancer over the course of their lifetimes. With that in mind, it is recommended men speak with their doctors about lowering their risks and undergoing routine screening for the disease. Early detection can be critical for helping men beat more aggressive forms of the disease.

 

About Author

Dr. Echt and his team at the Prostate Seed Institute offer the most highly sophisticated methods of radiation therapy available in the United States, equal to that found in major medical center and academic settings. These include prostate seed implantation, high dose radiation implants, and external beam radiation with image-guided and intensity-modulated (IGRT and IMRT) capabilities.