Integrated Cancer Care
Prostate Cancer FAQs
If you have received a diagnosis of prostate cancer, you likely have questions. Below, we’ll cover some of the most common questions we receive about prostate cancer. If your question isn’t answered, we encourage you to make a list and bring it to your next appointment with your primary oncologist or with our team, if you have chosen to receive treatment at Integrated Cancer Care.
What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that can form in the prostate of biological males. Typically, this cancer is slow-growing, though some variants can grow quicker, and even spread to surrounding areas. The earlier the cancer is detected, the higher the chance is of a successful treatment. (Source)
What is recurrent prostate cancer?
Recurrent prostate cancer is a prostate cancer that returns one or more times after the initial treatment(s). This can occur in patients who spend years in remission or are even told they’re cancer-free.
How common is recurrent prostate cancer?
Approximately 40% of people that have prostate cancer will experience a recurrence at some point in their life. However, regular testing & monitoring, especially frequent checks of PSA levels, can help minimize this risk. (Source)
What are the signs of recurrent prostate cancer?
Early signs of recurrent prostate cancer can be fatigue, urination issues (including difficulty urinating & bloody urine), jaundice in the eyes or skin, and trouble breathing.
More serious signs include pain in your bones, lack of sensation in the extremities (legs, feet) or pelvic area, and constipation. If you’ve previously been treated for prostate cancer and are concerned it may have returned and are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s important to speak with a medical professional and have your PSA levels checked. (Source)
What is the average prostate cancer life expectancy?
In cases where the cancer is found before it had spread, or had only spread to some nearby areas, the 5-year survival rate is over 99%. This means that if prostate cancer is treated before it can spread, a patient has roughly the same life expectancy as anyone else, including non-cancer patients.
However, in cases where the cancer is more aggressive and has already spread to critical parts of the body, such as the lungs and bones, the 5-year survival rate is roughly 32%. This is why getting scans regularly and identifying problems before they can spread is so crucial. (Source)
How is recurrent prostate cancer treated?
If you suspect that your prostate cancer may have returned, it’s important to talk to a healthcare professional immediately. Tests & scans such as checking your PSA levels and doing a CT, MRI, or bone scan can help identify the correct course of treatment.
Once identified, treatment could include a variety of things including surgery (typically radical prostatectomy), radiation, or hormone therapy. A radical prostatectomy is the removal of the entire prostate to stop or reduce the cancer from spreading to nearby areas. This is often combined with radiation or chemotherapy in recurrent cases to help destroy any cancer cells that may have escaped elsewhere into the body.
Other treatment include types of hormone therapy such as a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone therapy (LHRH). This helps reduce the amount of testosterone that is present in the body, which can slow down and even reduce the size of any existing prostate cancer cells throughout the body. (Source)
When should I get prostate cancer surgery vs radiation?
What is IMRT for prostate cancer?
IMRT — or Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy — is a type of radiation used in the treatment of prostate and other cancers. This targeted, highly-precise treatment can kill cancer cells while minimizing the amount of excess radiation absorbed by the surrounding areas.
What is 3D-CRT for prostate cancer?
Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (or 3D-CRT) is a type of treatment that is used along with CT scanning to shape radiation to perfectly match the size/shape of a tumor. Similar to IMRT, this allows a tumor to receive the exact amount of radiation needed to reduce tumor size, which also exposes the surrounding areas to less radiation.