About Stage 3 Prostate Cancer

Doctors have a fairly elaborate way to determine prostate cancer stages

. They take into account the size of the tumor, whether the cancer has invaded local nymph nodes, whether it has metastasized, the PSA test score and the Gleason score. The extent of prostate cancer is also determined by the clinical stage and the pathologic stage. The clinical stage is the doctors estimate of the diseases severity, and the pathologic stage is arrived at after surgery, when cancerous tissue can be more closely examined.

There are several prostate cancer categories. These are T1 to T4, NX to N1 and M0 to M1. All of them, plus the other criteria mentioned, go into determining prostate cancer stages. A stage 3 prostate cancer involves a category T3, N0, M0, a Gleason score and a PSA score. This means that the cancer has spread outside of the prostate, hasnt invaded any close lymph nodes, and hasnt spread beyond the lymph nodes.

There are several treatments available for men who have stage 3 prostate cancer. Its prudent for a man to get a second opinion before he undergoes treatment. Then, hell need to discuss the benefits, drawbacks, goals and effectiveness of a certain course of treatment with his doctor.

Radiation is one option to treat prostate cancer that has advanced to stage 3. Its used along with hormone therapy for these kinds of cancers. Radiation can be external (EBR), or internal, though internal radiation is generally used in men with early stage cancer. In EBR, a beam of radiation treats the prostate gland. Usually, the patient is treated for seven to nine weeks, five days a week. The procedure takes place in an outpatient clinic. New techniques have made radiation therapy more focused and less likely to affect surrounding, healthy tissue.

Another treatment for men with stage 3 cancer is hormone therapy, which is also known as androgen deprivation therapy. This therapy suppresses the male hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, which cause cancer cells to proliferate. When the prostate cancer is starved of these male hormones, it tends to shrink or its growth slows. This treatment is good for men whose cancer has spread outside the prostate.

One form of hormone therapy is actually surgical castration, where the testicles are removed. Since they make most of the male hormones in the body, the prostate cancer shrinks or stops growing. Other hormones used are luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogs, and luteinizing hormone releasing hormone antagonists. In the LHRH analogs, the levels of testosterone spike for a while, then decrease. The LHRH antagonists dont have this side effect. Anti-androgens might also be given along with an LHRH analog.

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