Q. What are the options for curing prostate cancer at stage 4?
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
Prostate cancer is a serious condition, especially when it reaches stage 4. Fortunately, there are several options available to treat and manage this type of cancer.
At this advanced stage, curative treatments such as surgery or radiation may not be an option. However, there are still many effective ways of controlling the disease and prolonging life expectancy. These include hormone therapy (also known as androgen deprivation therapy), chemotherapy, cryotherapy (freezing tumors), targeted therapy (which use drugs to attack specific changes in cancer cells) and immunotherapy (which uses drugs that help your body’s natural defense system fight prostate cancer). It is important to discuss treatment options with a medical professional before making any decisions about care for prostate cancer at stage 4.
In addition to these more traditional treatments, clinical trials have shown promise for new methods of treating prostate cancer at this late stage. For instance, some patients have responded well to medications such as abiraterone acetate or enzalutamide which block the effects of hormones on tumor growth. Other promising treatments being tested today include gamma knife radiosurgery and antibody-drug conjugates.
Finally, it is important to note that even if cure is not possible with these current treatments for prostate cancer at stage 4, they can often still reduce symptoms effectively while extending life expectancy significantly - allowing patients more quality time with family and friends in spite of their diagnosis.