Treatment Options By Stage
Stage I Prostate Cancer
Standard treatment of stage I prostate cancer may include the following:
- Watchful waiting.
- Active surveillance. If the cancer begins to grow, hormone therapy may be given.
- Radical prostatectomy, usually with pelvic lymphadenectomy. Radiation therapy may be given after surgery.
- External-beam radiation therapy. Hormone therapy may be given after radiation therapy.
- Internal radiation therapy with radioactive seeds.
- A clinical trial of high-intensity focused ultrasound.
- A clinical trial of cryosurgery.
Stage II Prostate Cancer
Standard treatment of stage II prostate cancer may include the following:
- Watchful waiting.
- Active surveillance. If the cancer begins to grow, hormone therapy may be given.
- Radical prostatectomy, usually with pelvic lymphadenectomy. Radiation therapy may be given aftersurgery.
- External-beam radiation therapy. Hormone therapy may be given after radiation therapy.
- Internal radiation therapy with radioactive seeds.
- A clinical trial of cryosurgery.
- A clinical trial of high-intensity focused ultrasound.
- A clinical trial of proton beam radiation therapy.
- Clinical trials of new types of treatment, such as hormone therapy followed by radical prostatectomy.
Stage III Prostate Cancer
Standard treatment of stage III prostate cancer may include the following:
- External-beam radiation therapy. Hormone therapy may be given after radiation therapy.
- Hormone therapy.
- Radical prostatectomy. Radiation therapy may be given after surgery.
- Watchful waiting.
- Active surveillance. If the cancer begins to grow, hormone therapy may be given.
Treatment to control cancer that is in the prostate and lessen urinary symptoms may include the following:
- External-beam radiation therapy.
- Internal radiation therapy with radioactive seeds.
- Hormone therapy.
- Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).
- A clinical trial of new types of radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of cryosurgery.
Stage IV Prostate Cancer
Standard treatment of stage IV prostate cancer may include the following:
- Hormone therapy.
- Bisphosphonate therapy.
- External-beam radiation therapy. Hormone therapy may be given after radiation therapy.
- Alpha emitter radiation therapy.
- Watchful waiting.
- Active surveillance. If the cancer begins to grow, hormone therapy may be given.
- A clinical trial of radical prostatectomy with orchiectomy.
- A clinical trial of hormone therapy combined with chemotherapy.
Treatment to control cancer that is in the prostate and lessen urinary symptoms may include the following:
- Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).
- Radiation therapy.
Recurrent Prostate Cancer
- Chemotherapy for patients already treated with hormone therapy.
- Biologic therapy with sipuleucel-T for patients already treated with hormone therapy.
- Hormone therapy.
- External-beam radiation therapy.
- Prostatectomy for patients already treated with radiation therapy.
- Alpha emitter radiation therapy.
Adapted from the National Cancer Institute’s Physician Data Query (PDQ(r)) Cancer Information Summaries (http://www.cancer.gov/
Date Last Modified: September 12, 2014
For more information:
Go to the Prostate Cancer health topic.