Prostate Cancer Treatment In Winnipeg
Men’s Health Clinic Manitoba in Winnipeg offers personalized prostate cancer treatment, including various strategies like watchful waiting, radiation therapy, surgery, and more, to ensure optimal outcomes for patients.
Prostate Cancer Treatment in Winnipeg
Prostate Cancer Treatment is essential for addressing one of the most common cancers diagnosed in men. Once detected, the course of action for treating prostate cancer can vary based on the stage of the disease, the age of the patient, and other individual health factors.
Options for treating prostate cancer include watchful waiting or active surveillance for less aggressive forms, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, surgery to remove the prostate, and chemotherapy, among others. The goal is to eliminate or manage the cancer while minimizing side effects, ensuring the best possible quality of life.
In simple terms: Prostate Cancer Treatment is like a tailored plan to combat and manage a cancerous growth in the prostate, using various medical strategies to ensure the best outcomes for the patient.
At Men’s Health Clinic Manitoba, we offer comprehensive prostate cancer treatment options in Winnipeg. Our dedicated team of experts ensures that each patient receives the most effective and individualized care, guiding them every step of the way in their battle against prostate cancer.
Treatment Highlights
Personalized Treatment
Men's Health Clinic Manitoba offers tailored prostate cancer care, aligning treatment strategies with each patient's individual needs and preferences.
Comprehensive Options
The clinic provides a variety of treatment approaches, ensuring effective prostate cancer management while prioritizing patient well-being.
Frequently asked questions about prostate cancer treatment
Localized prostate cancer refers to prostate cancer that is contained in the prostate itself. In this case, treatments are geared directly to the prostate gland, including surgery (radical prostatectomy) or radiation therapy (external beam radiotherapy or brachytherapy). In some patients with low risk disease, no treatment may be recommended initially (active surveillance). Less commonly used options include High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) or cryotherapy, however, these options are less established than the traditional options, and you should discuss them with your urologic oncologist so that you are aware of the risks.
Radical prostatectomy
This is a surgical procedure whereby the prostate gland, seminal vesicles and lymph nodes are removed. The bladder is brought down to the urethra and surgically reconnected to allow for the urine to drain through the normal way. During this procedure, the nerves that provide erections can be partially spared to help ensure a good functional outcome. The surgery lasts 3–4 hours and is performed in the hospital. Most patients go home after 2 days with a catheter in their bladder. The catheter is removed two weeks after surgery. Some risks of surgery include: bleeding and the potential to require a blood transfusion, infection, incontinence, impotence, post-op fluid collections (hematoma, lymphocele, urinoma), or urine leak. Patients commonly experience incontinence and impotence initially, with most patients regaining the control of their bladder after 6–12 months. Erectile function can be restored by a penile rehabilitation plan after surgery.
Radiation therapy
Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) involves the delivery of radiation energy to the prostate to destroy cancer cells. These radiation beams travel through parts of the normal body to get to the prostate, which can result in some side effects. With current technology, the radiation treatment is very accurate and radiation exposure to health tissue is minimized. These treatments are typically delivered on a daily basis for a number of weeks. Risks of this procedure include: blood in the urine, blood in the stool, urinary frequency and urgency, impotence, urethral stricture disease, and the development of secondary cancers years later. Brachytherapy involves the implantation of radioactive seeds into the prostate which can minimize some of the risks of IMRT, however; there are unique considerations for this treatment. Patients treated with radiation therapy also received hormone therapy at the same time.
Metastatic prostate cancer indicates that the disease has spread beyond the prostate. This can include the lymph nodes, bones or other organs. In these situations, the treatment goals shift from treating the prostate to treating the entire body for prostate cancer. Treatments are typically with medications such as hormonal therapy, which are designed to reduce testosterone levels and thus slow down the progression of prostate cancer.
Hormonal therapy
Hormone therapy represents the mainstay treatment for advanced prostate cancer. Medications are used to lower the testosterone, which effectively starves prostate cancer so that it stops growing further. These medications are typically administered every few months.
Chemotherapy
In select patients with high volume, metastatic disease, consideration can be given to chemotherapy in combination with hormone therapy. Speak to your doctor if you have questions.
Androgen-axis targeted agents (ARATs)
Recent advances in prostate cancer management have shown that stronger blockade of the effects of testosterone improve outcomes when combined with hormonal therapy. These advanced cancer medications are prescribed by urologic oncologists, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists. Speak to your doctor to learn if these medications may be appropriate for you.
Radiation therapy
In select cases of low volume, metastatic prostate cancer, radiation treatment delivered to the prostate may be considered in addition to hormonal therapy.
