Prostate Cancer Treatment and Care

Mercy Health has highly skilled urologists and oncologists that can identify your risk of developing prostate cancer, test for the disease and provide comprehensive care when cancer is discovered. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men (after skin cancer), but it can often be treated successfully. Prostate cancer begins when cells in the prostate gland start to grow uncontrollably. Almost all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas. These cancers develop from the gland cells (the cells that make the prostate fluid that is added to the semen). Some prostate cancers can grow and spread quickly, but most grow slowly.

Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. In fact, more than 2.9 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today. Early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms, but talk to your doctor if you experience any of these possible signs of prostate cancer:

• Problems urinating, including a slow or weak urinary stream or the need to urinate more often, especially at night
• Blood in the urine or semen
• Trouble getting an erection (erectile dysfunction or ED)
• Pain in the hips, back (spine), chest (ribs), or other areas from cancer that has spread to bones
• Weakness or numbness in the legs or feet, or even loss of bladder or bowel control from cancer pressing on the spinal cord

Since many cases of prostate cancer present with no symptoms, it’s vital to make sure that you are receiving regular screenings. Most prostate cancers are first found during screening with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test or a digital rectal exam (DRE). If cancer is suspected based on results of screening tests or symptoms, tests will be needed to confirm the diagnosis. The actual diagnosis of prostate cancer can only be made with a prostate biopsy.

Depending on each case, treatment options for men with prostate cancer might include surgery, radiation therapy, cryotherapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, vaccine treatment and bone-directed treatment.