Prostate Cancer Treatment Options for Newly Diagnosed Patients

Whether you or a loved one has been newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, talking to your doctor and conducting research on all the available treatment options is an important first step.

Thanks to advancements in research and treatment methods, men diagnosed with prostate cancer have several options and resources available to them to learn more about the disease and the best way to treat their diagnosis.

Below are descriptions of some current treatment options for prostate cancer. Take time to educate yourself on the various risks and benefits of each option and what best suits your lifestyle.

• Surgery – If prostate cancer hasn’t spread outside the gland, invasive surgery is often used to remove the prostate.

• External Beam Radiation – Also known as intensity-modulated radiation therapy or IMRT, this method uses high-energy x-rays or to kill cancer cells and is administered over several weeks of daily treatments. This technique also affects the surrounding healthy cells and can result in negative side effects.

• Brachytherapy – Also known as internal radiation therapy, brachytherapy uses small radioactive pellets, or “seeds,” that are placed directly into the prostate to deliver radiation over a period of several months.

• Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) – This treatment method uses advanced image guidance software to deliver high dose radiation to the prostate cancer with sub millimeter accuracy. Treatment is typically completed in five or fewer treatments and results in less radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue, reducing side effects.

St. Louis CyberKnife uses stereotactic body radiation therapy to treat prostate cancer with highly advanced CyberKnife® technology. SBRT is painless and noninvasive, and is an important option for patients who are not candidates for conventional radiation therapy or surgery. To learn more about treatment options for prostate cancer, view a treatment comparison chart here.

This is not intended as medical advice to replace the expertise and judgment of your health care team. It is intended to help you and your family make informed decisions, together with your doctor.