Stage II Prostate Cancer Treatments

You have been diagnosed with Stage II Prostate Cancer. The stage is determined based on the extent that the tumors have developed and/or spread throughout the body.

Stage II Prostate Cancer Treatments

Stage II prostate cancer generally means that your cancer could be palpated during a digital rectal exam (DRE) or seen during a rectal ultrasound. The prostate cancer has not spread outside of the prostate.

Specialists will most often recommend the following when you are diagnosed with a stage II prostate cancer:

• Radical prostatectomy, with removal of the lymph nodes of the pelvis. This may be followed with radiation therapy.
• External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT).
• Radiation Seed Implant Therapy (Brachytherapy).
• Cryotherapy is also being recommended.

When choosing a treatment with your doctor, you should weigh the different side effects of each option against each other. Which side effects are you more comfortable in dealing with for a short term, or a long term?

Be sure to consider the tumor grade and/or Gleason score when choosing an option-- the higher either of these numbers will indicate the need for quick and intense therapy.

Depending on your specific situation, watchful waiting may be an option with hormone therapy if indicated.

Additionally, there are clinical trials available for:

• Hormone therapy followed by a radical prostatectomy.
• High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) Therapy which has been used successfully in other countries, but just now going through clinical trial in the US.

There may also be other clinical trials of new therapies that may be an option for you depending on your specific situation.