Get answers to the most frequently asked questions about prostate cancer from Mayo Clinic urologist Mitchell Humphreys, M.D. Show
Show transcript for video Hello. I'm Dr. Humphreys, a urologist at Mayo Clinic, and I'm here to answer some of the important questions you may have about prostate cancer. How do you know how fast my cancer is growing?If you have low to intermediate risk prostate cancer, there are genomic tests that can better inform on the risk of developing a more aggressive cancer. These tests look at the DNA of your actual cancer cells to compare them to other men, to come up with an individual risk profile for you and your cancer. None of it is 100%, but it does provide the best evidence based on your specific prostate cancer. Is prostate cancer sexually transmitted?No, there's no risk to your partner from prostate cancer. There's no risk with sexual activity. Prostate cancer is internal and does not spread through contact. Is prostate cancer hereditary?Some prostate cancers are hereditary. If you have prostate cancer, all of your first-degree relatives -- parent, sibling, or child -- are at an elevated risk for developing prostate cancer. If you are diagnosed when you're young in your 40s and develop prostate cancer, you may want to consider a genetic consultation to see if there are any known genetic risk factors that you and your family may have. What can I do to prevent or slow prostate cancer?There's no one thing. A healthy lifestyle with 30 minutes of exercise a day has shown to be protective. Also, diet is important by limiting red meat and eating fresh fruits and vegetables, low in sugars and carbohydrates. I would advise following a heart-healthy diet as research has shown that it is healthy for the prostate as well. Is there a risk of cancer spreading if I have a biopsy of my prostate?No, prostate cancer doesn't spread that way. And there have been millions of biopsies throughout the world and never a single incident of it being spread that way has ever been reported. When should I stop screening for prostate cancer?Not all prostate cancer is lethal and not all prostate cancer requires treatment. As a general rule of thumb, if your life expectancy is 10 years or less, you probably will not have to worry about prostate cancer affecting you in your lifetime. However, you should discuss this with your care team to determine how it specifically relates to you. How can I be the best partner to my medical team?The best thing you can do is be open and honest. Your medical team is here to be a resource to you, to support you and to help you in any way they can. Never hesitate to ask your medical team any questions or concerns that you have being informed makes all the difference. Thank you for your time and we wish you well. Screening for prostate cancerDigital rectal exam Open pop-up dialog boxClose Digital rectal examDigital rectal examDuring a digital rectal exam, your doctor inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into your rectum and feels the back wall of the prostate gland for enlargement, tenderness, lumps or hard spots. Testing healthy men with no symptoms for prostate cancer is controversial. There is some disagreement among medical organizations whether the benefits of testing outweigh the potential risks. Most medical organizations encourage men in their 50s to discuss the pros and cons of prostate cancer screening with their doctors. The discussion should include a review of your risk factors and your preferences about screening. You might consider starting the discussions sooner if you're a Black person, have a family history of prostate cancer or have other risk factors. Prostate screening tests might include:
Diagnosing prostate cancerTransrectal biopsy of the prostate Open pop-up dialog boxClose Transrectal biopsy of the prostateTransrectal biopsy of the prostateDuring a transrectal biopsy, a biopsy gun quickly projects a thin needle into suspect areas of the prostate gland, and small sections of tissue are removed for analysis. If prostate cancer screening detects an abnormality, your doctor may recommend further tests to determine whether you have prostate cancer, such as:
Determining whether prostate cancer is aggressiveWhen a biopsy confirms the presence of cancer, the next step is to determine the level of aggressiveness (grade) of the cancer cells. A doctor in a lab examines a sample of your cancer cells to determine how much cancer cells differ from the healthy cells. A higher grade indicates a more aggressive cancer that is more likely to spread quickly. Techniques used to determine the aggressiveness of the cancer include:
Determining whether the cancer has spreadOnce a prostate cancer diagnosis has been made, your doctor works to determine the extent (stage) of the cancer. If your doctor suspects your cancer may have spread beyond your prostate, one or more of the following imaging tests may be recommended:
Not every person should have every test. Your doctor will help determine which tests are best for your individual situation. Your doctor uses the information from these tests to assign your cancer a stage. Prostate cancer stages are indicated by Roman numerals ranging from I to IV. The lowest stages indicate the cancer is confined to the prostate. By stage IV, the cancer has grown beyond the prostate and may have spread to other areas of the body. Care at Mayo ClinicOur caring team of Mayo Clinic experts can help you with your prostate cancer-related health concerns Start Here More Information
TreatmentYour prostate cancer treatment options depend on several factors, such as how fast your cancer is growing, whether it has spread and your overall health, as well as the potential benefits or side effects of the treatment. Immediate treatment may not be necessaryLow-grade prostate cancer may not need treatment right away. For some, treatment may never be needed. Instead, doctors sometimes recommend active surveillance. In active surveillance, regular follow-up blood tests, rectal exams and prostate biopsies may be performed to monitor progression of your cancer. If tests show your cancer is progressing, you may opt for a prostate cancer treatment such as surgery or radiation. Active surveillance may be an option for cancer that isn't causing symptoms, is expected to grow very slowly and is confined to a small area of the prostate. Active surveillance may also be considered for someone who has another serious health condition or who is of an advanced age that makes cancer treatment more difficult. Surgery to remove the prostateProstatectomy incisions Open pop-up dialog boxClose Prostatectomy incisionsProstatectomy incisionsDuring an open prostatectomy, one large incision is made in your abdomen (left). During a robotic prostatectomy, several smaller incisions are made in the abdomen (right). Surgery for prostate cancer involves removing the prostate gland (radical prostatectomy), some surrounding tissue and a few lymph nodes. Surgery is an option for treating cancer that's confined to the prostate. It's sometimes used to treat advanced prostate cancer in combination with other treatments. To access the prostate, surgeons may use a technique that involves:
Discuss with your doctor which type of surgery is best for your specific situation. Radiation therapyExternal beam radiation for prostate cancer Open pop-up dialog boxClose External beam radiation for prostate cancerExternal beam radiation for prostate cancerDuring external beam radiation treatment for prostate cancer, you lie on a table while a linear accelerator moves around you to deliver radiation from many angles. The linear accelerator delivers the precise dose of radiation planned by your treatment team. Permanent prostate brachytherapy Open pop-up dialog boxClose Permanent prostate brachytherapyPermanent prostate brachytherapyPermanent prostate brachytherapy involves placing many radioactive seeds within the prostate to treat prostate cancer. During the procedure, an ultrasound probe is placed in the rectum to help guide the placement of seeds. The seeds emit radiation that dissipates over a few months. Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy to kill cancer cells. Prostate cancer radiation therapy treatments may involve:
In some situations, doctors may recommend both types of radiation therapy. Freezing or heating prostate tissueAblative therapies destroy prostate tissue with cold or heat. Options may include:
These treatments may be considered for treating very small prostate cancers when surgery isn't possible. They may also be used to treat advanced prostate cancers if other treatments, such as radiation therapy, haven't helped. Researchers are studying whether cryotherapy or HIFU to treat one part of the prostate might be an option for cancer that's confined to the prostate. Referred to as "focal therapy," this strategy identifies the area of the prostate that contains the most aggressive cancer cells and treats that area only. Studies have found that focal therapy reduces the risk of side effects. But it's not clear whether it offers the same survival benefits as treatment to the entire prostate. Hormone therapyHormone therapy is treatment to stop your body from producing the male hormone testosterone. Prostate cancer cells rely on testosterone to help them grow. Cutting off the supply of testosterone may cause cancer cells to die or to grow more slowly. Hormone therapy options include:
Hormone therapy is often used to treat advanced prostate cancer to shrink the cancer and slow its growth. Hormone therapy is sometimes used before radiation therapy to treat cancer that hasn't spread beyond the prostate. It helps shrink the cancer and increases the effectiveness of radiation therapy. ChemotherapyChemotherapy uses drugs to kill rapidly growing cells, including cancer cells. Chemotherapy can be administered through a vein in your arm, in pill form or both. Chemotherapy may be a treatment option for treating prostate cancer that has spread to other areas of the body. Chemotherapy may also be an option for cancers that don't respond to hormone therapy. ImmunotherapyImmunotherapy uses your immune system to fight cancer. Your body's disease-fighting immune system may not attack your cancer because the cancer cells produce proteins that help them hide from the immune system cells. Immunotherapy works by interfering with that process. Prostate cancer immunotherapy can involve:
Targeted drug therapyTargeted drug treatments focus on specific abnormalities present within cancer cells. By blocking these abnormalities, targeted drug treatments can cause cancer cells to die. Targeted therapy drugs may be recommended to treat advanced or recurrent prostate cancer if hormone therapy isn't working. Some targeted therapies only work in people whose cancer cells have certain genetic mutations. Your cancer cells may be tested in a laboratory to see if these drugs might help you. More Information
Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic Clinical trialsExplore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition. Alternative medicineNo complementary or alternative treatments will cure prostate cancer. However, complementary and alternative prostate cancer treatments may help you cope with the side effects of cancer and its treatment. Nearly everyone diagnosed with cancer experiences some distress at some point. If you're distressed, you may feel sad, angry or anxious. You may experience difficulty sleeping or find yourself constantly thinking about your cancer. Several complementary medicine techniques may help you cope with your distress, including:
Discuss your feelings and concerns with your doctor. In some cases, treatment for distress may require medications. More Information
Coping and supportWhen you receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer, you may experience a range of feelings — including disbelief, fear, anger, anxiety and depression. With time, each person finds his own way of coping with a prostate cancer diagnosis. Until you find what works for you, try to:
Preparing for your appointmentIf you have signs or symptoms that worry you, start by seeing your family doctor. If your doctor suspects you may have a problem with your prostate, you may be referred to a urinary tract specialist (urologist). If you're diagnosed with prostate cancer, you may be referred to a cancer specialist (oncologist) or a specialist who uses radiation therapy to treat cancer (radiation oncologist). Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot of information to discuss, it's a good idea to be prepared. Here's some information to help you get ready and what to expect from your doctor. What you can do
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For prostate cancer, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask other questions during your appointment. What to expect from your doctorYour doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may allow more time later to cover other points you want to address. Your doctor may ask:
By Mayo Clinic Staff Prostate cancer care at Mayo Clinic Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic Symptoms & causesDoctors & departments Dec. 14, 2022 Share on: FacebookTwitter Living with prostate cancer?Connect with others like you for support and answers to your questions in the Prostate Cancer support group on Mayo Clinic Connect, a patient community. Prostate Cancer DiscussionsProstate cancer surgery: What can I expect & prepare for? 34 Replies Sat, Nov 19, 2022 chevron-rightDid androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) cause bone loss for you? 11 Replies Sun, Nov 13, 2022 chevron-rightAthletic impact of radical prostatectomy? 8 Replies Tue, Nov 08, 2022 chevron-rightSee more discussionsShow references
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