Not all prostate cancers (PCs) are the same. They include everything from cancer of the prostate gland to cancer that spreads outside of it to the lymph nodes (clusters of cells that help the immune system), bones, or other parts of the body. It varies from person to person.
Your treatment options may be influenced by the:
- Stage of the cancer: how far it has spread already
- Aggressiveness of the cancer: how quickly it will spread and grow
- Your health, age, and medical history
- Your treatment choices and treatment goals
Click through the stages of PC to see treatment options, so you can Talk That Talk with your doctor about pros, cons, possible side effects of any treatment options, and which option will be best for you:
When prostate cancer (PC) is limited to the prostate.
If your PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels increase after treatment to your prostate — including surgery to remove the prostate or radiation — it is known as PSA failure, and you may require more treatment to prevent the cancer from spreading. Here are a few options:
Prostate cancer (PC) that has not spread to other parts of the body and still responds to treatment that lowers testosterone.
This is prostate cancer (PC) that has not spread to other parts of the body but no longer responds to treatment that lowers testosterone.
Prostate cancer (PC) that has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body but still responds to treatment that lowers testosterone.
Prostate cancer that has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body and no longer responds to medical or surgical treatment that lowers testosterone.
CLINICAL TRIALS
Clinical trials help scientists understand which treatments under clinical investigation work best for different people because our bodies can react differently to medicines based on factors like sex, age, race, and ethnicity. However, Black communities remain underrepresented in clinical trials because we often don't know enough about them.
Participating in clinical trials not only helps to change a long history of misunderstanding about the impact of medicine on Black people, but it's also a good way of getting research-based treatments that aren't yet available to the public.
When it comes to personalized prostate cancer care, clinical trials can help scientists tailor our treatment.