Stage 4 Prostate Cancer Treatments

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

Stage IV Prostate Cancer Treatments

Stage IV prostate cancer means that the cancer has extended beyond the prostate capsule (the outer boundary of the prostate) and has metastasized (spread) to other distant organs or tissues. Specialists will most often recommend the following when you are diagnosed with a stage IV prostate cancer:

• Hormone therapy.
• Radical prostatectomy, with removal of the lymph nodes of the pelvis. This may be followed with radiation therapy.
• External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) optionally followed by hormone therapy.
• Radiation Seed Implant Therapy (Brachytherapy).
• Hormone therapy , External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) , or Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) as palliative treatment for symptoms.

Additionally, there are clinical trials available for:

• Combination radical prostatectomy and orchiectomy.
• Chemotherapy is also in clinical trial.

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

Depending on your specific situation, watchful waiting may be an option.

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.