Why surgery for prostate cancer

Your doctor will help you choose the best form of prostate cancer surgery for your condition. As an open approach to prostate cancer surgery, the surgeon creates an incision in one of two possible areas to remove the prostate and nearby tissues. During a radical retropubic prostatectomy, the surgeon makes an incision in the lower abdomen, extending from the belly button to the pubic bone. A radical perineal prostatectomy is performed through an incision made between the anus and the scrotum. Read more about radical prostatectomy.

Laparoscopic approaches to radical prostatectomy involve using smaller incisions and long surgical tools to take out the prostate. Compared with open approaches to prostate surgery, this method usually results in less pain and blood loss, faster recovery times and shorter hospital stays. A robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is performed with the aid of a robot controlled by a surgeon. Multiple small incisions are made in the abdomen to allow for the movement of the robotic arms and camera.

Learn more about robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy. Typical hospital stays following radical prostatectomy are one to two days. You will need to use a catheter to help drain your bladder for one to two weeks after surgery. Download PDF kB. We also thank the health professionals, consumers and editorial teams who have worked on previous editions of this title. This booklet is funded through the generosity of the people of Australia.

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Hormone therapy is often used in combination with radiotherapy. For example, you may receive hormone therapy before undergoing radiotherapy to increase the chance of successful treatment. It may also be recommended after radiotherapy to reduce the chances of cancerous cells returning. Hormone therapy alone does not cure prostate cancer.

It can be used to slow the progression of advanced prostate cancer and relieve symptoms. Hormones control the growth of cells in the prostate. In particular, prostate cancer needs the hormone testosterone to grow. The purpose of hormone therapy is to block the effects of testosterone, either by stopping its production or by stopping your body being able to use testosterone. The main side effects of hormone treatment are caused by their effects on testosterone. They usually go away when treatment stops.

They include reduced sex drive and erectile dysfunction this is more common with the injections than with the tablets. An alternative to hormone therapy is to surgically remove the testicles orchidectomy. This does not cure prostate cancer, but by removing the testosterone it controls the growth of the cancer and its symptoms. TURP is a procedure that can help relieve pressure from the tube that carries urine from your bladder out of your penis urethra to treat any problematic symptoms you may have with urination.

During TURP, a thin metal wire with a loop at the end is inserted into your urethra and pieces of the prostate are removed. This is carried out under general anaesthetic or a spinal anaesthetic epidural.

Find out more about TURP. HIFU is sometimes used to treat localised prostate cancer that has not spread beyond the prostate. An ultrasound probe inserted into the bottom rectum releases high-frequency sound waves through the wall of the rectum. These sound waves kill cancer cells in the prostate gland by heating them to a high temperature. The risk of side effects from HIFU is usually lower than other treatments.

But possible effects can include erectile dysfunction or urinary incontinence. Back passage problems are rare. A fistula, where an abnormal channel forms between the urinary system and the rectum, is also rare. This is because the treatment targets the cancer area only and not the whole prostate. But HIFU treatment is still going through clinical trials for prostate cancer. In some cases, doctors can carry out HIFU treatment outside of clinical trials. HIFU is not widely available and its long-term effectiveness has not yet been conclusively proven.

Cryotherapy is a method of killing cancer cells by freezing them. It's sometimes used to treat localised prostate cancer that has not spread beyond the prostate gland. Tiny probes called cryoneedles are inserted into the prostate gland through the wall of the rectum. They freeze the prostate gland and kill the cancer cells, but some normal cells also die.

The aim is to kill cancer cells while causing as little damage as possible to healthy cells. It's rare for cryotherapy to cause a fistula or problems with the back passage. Cryotherapy is still undergoing clinical trials for prostate cancer.

In some cases, doctors can carry out cryotherapy treatment outside of clinical trials. It's not widely available and its long-term effectiveness has not yet been conclusively proven.

If the cancer has reached an advanced stage, it's no longer possible to cure it. But it may be possible to slow its progression, prolong your life and relieve symptoms. If the cancer has spread to your bones, medicines called bisphosphonates may be used.

Bisphosphonates help reduce bone pain and bone loss. Chemotherapy is often used to treat prostate cancer that's spread to other parts of the body metastatic prostate cancer. Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells by interfering with the way they multiply.

It does not cure prostate cancer but can keep it under control to help you live longer. It also aims to reduce symptoms, such as pain, so everyday life is less affected. The main side effects of chemotherapy come from how it affects healthy cells, such as immune cells. Many of these side effects can be prevented or controlled with other medicines that your doctor can prescribe.