After receiving your diagnosis for prostate cancer, it is natural to imagine the worst and worry about how cancer will affect your life and the lives of your loved ones. It can be difficult and stressful to have to decide on your treatment. You will most certainly have questions regarding your prognosis and may want to know what the chances are for a successful treatment.
Unfortunately, no one can tell you exactly what your outlook will be since many factors come into play: your type of prostate cancer (grade, stage, PSA rate), your age, your health status, your medical and family history, among others. Here is a summary of the types of prostate cancer.
The cancer is localized only within the prostate. The important thing here is to determine the risk of cancer progression (see Prognosis and Survival). When it comes to localized prostate cancer, your treatment options are:
The cancer has begun to break out of the prostate, but not too far. When it comes to locally advanced prostate cancer, your treatment options are:
The tumour has spread to neighbouring organs, lymph nodes, or other parts of your body far from your prostate. When it comes to metastatic prostate cancer, your treatment options are:
A recurrent cancer corresponds to a cancer that returns after radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy. Recurrence can be biochemical only (increase of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood) or clinical (appearance of metastases on imaging tests). When it comes to a recurrence, your treatment options are:
Treatments can be given to cure cancer or to control or relieve symptoms. You may receive a single treatment or a combination of treatments based on your individual preferences / values and depending on the grade and stage of your cancer (i.e. how far the cancer has spread and how fast it can grow).
This section provides you with information on drugs to treat prostate cancer that are currently approved by Health Canada. As new prostate cancer drugs are approved for use in Canada we will update our information in a timely manner.
The most common LHRH agonists are:
The LHRH antagonist is:
The most common types of anti-androgens are:
Second line hormone therapy (new generation)
For more information on medications reimbursed in Quebec, please visit the National Institute of Excellence for Health and Social Services (INESSS) website.
You have questions or concerns? Don’t hesitate. Contact us at 1 855 899-2872 to discuss with one of our nurses specialized in uro-oncology. They are there to listen, support and answer your questions, those of your family or your loved ones. It’s simple and free, like all of our other services.
Also take the time to visit each of our pages on this website, as well as our YouTube channel, in order to get familiar with the disease, our expert lectures and webinars, our section on available resources, the support that is offered to you, our events and ways to get involve to advance the cause.
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The medical content and editorial team at PROCURE
Our team is composed of urologists, nurses certified in uro-oncology with a deep knowledge of prostate cancer and other diseases related to the genitourinary system. Meet our staff by clicking here.
Last medical and editorial review: July 2019
Written by PROCURE. © All rights reserved – 2019
