Treatment Options
Thanks to ongoing research and medical advances, men who face prostate cancer now have several treatment options available or, more often a combination of therapies. The most effective, most appropriate treatment plan is individualized to you based on the nature of your particular cancer and circumstances. The treatment plan is developed in conjunction with your treatment team.
Stages of prostate cancer
Patients who have prostate cancer have a "stage" associated with their diagnoses that describes how far the cancer has spread. Different stages of prostate cancer require different treatment approaches. Therefore, staging prostate cancer helps the physician determine the appropriate treatment.
Stages I and II (localized prostate cancer): The cancer is still completely contained within the prostate. Stage II is sometimes divided into risk groups (low, intermediate and high) to describe the likelihood of the treatment being able to cure the cancer.
Stage III: The cancer has grown beyond the prostate into the surrounding tissue.
Stage IV: The cancer has extended to nearby organs or has spread (metastasized) to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
There are multiple treatment options for localized prostate cancer (Stages I and II), including cyberknife radiosurgery, active surveillance (watchful waiting), surgery (radical prostatectomy) and/or radiation therapy.
Treatment Options
Care for the Whole Person
Cancer can affect patients and their families in many ways, not all of them physical. Swedish goes beyond treating the disease to help patients and family to cope with cancer integrating services for the mind, body and spirit into an individual’s cancer care.
Services for the mind, body and spirit
Patient Support & Resources
At the Swedish Cancer Institute, the patient is always the focus. Even if you have asked dozens of questions, feel free to ask them all again to be included in making important decisions about your care. Here at Swedish we see many patients seeking a second opinion. A second opinion can assure you that the suggested treatment is the best option for you.
Talking to your doctor (American Cancer Society)