Prostate Cancer Chemotherapy
What is 'prostate chemotherapy'?
Chemotherapy involves the administration of chemicals meant to fight cancer. This is usually given intravenously. Generally, for prostate cancer, however, chemotherapy is used for more advanced stages or for metastatic disease.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of prostate chemotherapy?
Generally chemotherapy is not used for the earliest stages for cure of prostate cancer. However, in addition to traditional treatments such as surgery or radiation, it may be helpful in eradicating metasthetic prostate cancer. The disadvantages include some of the normal toxicities of chemotherapy: nausea, vomiting, loss of hair, weakness, fatigue, and infections.
What are other alternative forms of prostate cancer treatment?
There are some newer treatments that are being looked at and investigated. In the United States these are not clinically used at the present time. This includes heating the prostate with heat sources and also using focused high energy ultrasound to treat the prostate cancer.
Will I need time off for my treatment of prostate cancer?
Generally, depending on the treatment chosen, time off will be necessary. For surgery, it would include time for the surgery itself and the recuperation, which can be 4 to 6 weeks. Radiation therapy may take place over 4 to 6 weeks, and generally that treatment is performed five days a week.
