FAQ For Prostate Cancer - All Stages And Treatment Related Questions
Question 1: What is metastatic prostate cancer? What is the best metastatic prostate cancer treatment in Delhi, India?
Answer 1: Prostate cancer that has metastasized, also known as stage 4, is cancer that has spread to other parts of the body in addition to the prostate gland. The lymph nodes and bones are the most typical sites of spread.
In a small percentage of people, even stage 4 cancer can be cured. Even in people with terminal cancer, effective treatment can keep the condition under control for a very long time—sometimes even a decade or more. Typically, prostate cancer progresses slowly.
Hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy are the main types of treatment for stage 4 prostate cancer.
Question 2: What is hormone therapy/ADT? How is it used in prostate cancer?
Answer 2: Hormone treatment is particularly effective in treating prostate cancer. Changes in the body's testosterone levels cause a rise and decrease of cancer cells. Therefore, we can prevent and treat prostate cancer by removing testosterone from the body.
This can be done in two ways:
By using injections that temporarily reduce blood testosterone
By surgical removal of the testes (orchiectomy) for permanent reduction
Question 3: What are abiraterone acetate and enzalutamide?
Answer 3: Enzalutamide (Xtandi, many brand names) and abiraterone (Zytiga, many brand names) are two hormone treatments that are frequently used to treat metastatic prostate cancer. These treatments are quite effective and can keep prostate cancer under control for months or even years.
Question 4: What is chemotherapy? Is it useful in prostate cancer?
Answer 4: Chemotherapy is the use of chemicals to obliterate cancer cells. When treating prostate cancer, chemotherapy is quite effective. In fact, stage 4 prostate cancer can occasionally be kept under control for years with just a few months of treatment. In general, prostate cancer chemotherapy has few adverse effects and is both safe and efficient, especially for senior men.
Question 5: What is prostate cancer immunotherapy? Is prostate cancer immunotherapy available in Delhi, India?
Answer 5: A recent development in cancer treatment is immunotherapy. Immunotherapy activates the body's natural defences to eliminate cancer cells. As a result, it can exert strong action with few adverse effects. Thus, even the most dismal situations can result in dramatic outcomes. Prostate cancer research in this area is brisk. Immunotherapy is currently typically utilised in people who have few alternative options. Future changes are predicted to be swift in this regard.
Question 6: What is the cost of Prostate cancer treatment in Delhi, India?
Answer 6: There are many treatment options available now for prostate cancer at every stage. A competent medical oncologist can assist you in receiving affordable care at every stage. For instance, a competent medical oncologist can assist in identifying patients who are suitable for active surveillance, which could only incur a small annual expense and help people avoid prostatectomy (which often costs a few lakhs). Similar to how injections must be repeated, hormone therapy can also be administered through surgery (which is a small, one-time expense). Despite being more expensive than prior, incredibly cheap treatments, many modern medications are not more effective. Thus, getting the most affordable prostate cancer therapy is possible with the help of an ethical medical oncologist.