Treatment for prostate cancer by stage.

Quite a few: Early stage (cancer within prostate): robotic or open surgery, standard radiation; radiation seeds; cryosurgery. For cancer with local spread to nodes typically radiation and hormonal therapy is used. For recurring cancer or for spread to far organs; a sequence of therapies is used. Initially, a series of 3-4 hormonal drugs one by one, then immune therapy (provenge) and then chemotherapy.

The stages: Actually confuse. Think of two: dsease confined to prostate or not. Next is complex assessment of "how much on biopsy" and psa level...Perhaps watchful waiting with a series of regular psa tests. If confined, surgery, external beam or seeds are just about equal in disease control and vary in side effects. Hormones way too complex to discuss. Get at least two opinions if your advisor disagrees.

Disease continuum: There is a disease continuum from localized disease through advanced metastatic castration resistant disease. Generally localized disease is treated with local therapies such as surgery or radiation and disease that either recurs or is more advanced is treated initially with hormonal therapy. Immune therapy and chemotherapy may be used after.

Here are some...: Treating prostate caner is not based on stage alone, instead, needing to take the considerations of age, PSA progress, finding of DRE & ultrasound exam, Gleason's tissue grading, patient's existing medical illnesses, and his will so to balance & decide necessity & possibility. Rx Options may include: active surveillance, radical surgery, radiation, cryotherapy, HIFU, etc. with or without hormones