Understanding Your Prostate Cancer Treatment Options

When you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, it may take a while for you to get over the initial shock of the diagnosis. However, once you have wrapped your mind around the reality of your new situation, the next step is to begin treatment and try to overcome your cancer. Before you head to the oncologist's office to get started, you should get to know some of your prostate cancer treatment options. By doing so, you will be more informed when you meet with your oncologist, and you can be sure that you get the precise treatments you want and need for your prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer Surgery

One of the most effective treatments for prostate cancer is through surgery. The surgical procedure involves removing the cancerous portion of the prostate (which means the tumors that have been detected through tests and scans) as well as a small area of non-cancerous, healthy cells surrounding the tumors.

The reason for this "extra" tissue removal is to ensure that the cells that immediately border the tumors do not also have cancer cells that are too small to detect on scans. Sometimes surgery will involve removing the prostate in its entirety if too much of the tissue has been compromised by tumors or the cancer has spread throughout the gland.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound

One of the newest treatments for prostate issues in the United States is a high intensity focused ultrasound treatment. While long in use in Europe and other areas of the world, the United States was slow to approve the use of this technology on prostates.

However, now that it has been approved, you may want to consider this form of treatment for your prostate cancer. A high intensity focused ultrasound uses sound waves to heat and destroy cancerous cells in the prostate. These intense sound waves are directed at the cancerous cells in the prostate to cause the cancer cells to get too hot and die off while leaving the healthy tissues around them intact.

With these treatment options in mind, as well as understanding that standard cancer treatments like radiation and chemotherapy are also common options, you can schedule your oncologist appointment and be sure that you get the best treatment possible for your prostate cancer.

To target those cells, a transrectal ultrasound probe is inserted through your rectum to reach the prostate. This minimally invasive procedure can help you treat prostate cancer without the side effects of radiation and chemotherapy, or in conjunction with these treatments as part of a comprehensive treatment program. Oftentimes, patients who have already had radiation therapy are prime candidates for this prostate cancer treatment.

To learn more, visit a website like http://internationalhifu.com.


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