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Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in a man's prostate gland.

Prostate cancer is common in men older than 65. It usually grows slowly and can take years to grow large enough to cause any problems. Most cases are treatable, because they are found with screening tests before the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Experts don't know what causes prostate cancer, but they believe that age, family history (genetics), and race affect your chances of getting it. Eating a high-fat diet may also play a part.

The most common way to check for prostate cancer is to have a digital rectal exam and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. A higher level of PSA may mean prostate cancer, but it could also mean an enlargement or infection of the prostate.

Learning about Prostate Cancer

What is prostate cancer?
What causes prostate cancer?
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
What increases my risk of prostate cancer?
How common is prostate cancer?

Diagnosis

How will my doctor diagnose prostate cancer?
Should I have a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test to screen for prostate cancer?
What does "stage" mean?
What does "grade" mean?

Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer

During your treatment, we may utilize many tools to help treat prostate cancer. By combining leading-edge technology, innovative therapies and the expertise of our dedicated team, we will work closely with you to determine the best combination of treatments, depending on the type and stage of the cancer.

Surgery. For many prostate cancer patients, surgery is the most common treatment option. You and your doctor will work together to determine the surgical treatment options that may be best for you. If your physician recommends surgery to treat your prostate cancer, you may be a candidate for the da Vinci Surgical System, an alternative to traditional prostate surgery that incorporates the latest advances in robotics and computer technology to enable surgeons to perform precise, minimally invasive surgeries. This method offers improved cancer control and a faster return to potency and continence. This is offered at MultiCare Urology of Tacoma.

Radiation therapy. Your doctor may recommend one or two forms of radiation therapy – external or internal – to eliminate any cancerous cells in your body. External therapy is administered using high-energy x-ray beams directed at the cancer. Over time, treatment destroys or weakens the cancer cells so they cannot reproduce.

A leader in providing the most advanced treatments and therapies available, MultiCare Regional Cancer Center offers intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which involves image-guided technology to determine the location, shape and size of a tumor and determine the ideal amount of radiation to use.

If your prostate cancer requires internal radiation, you may be a candidate for prostate seed implantation, which delivers radiation directly to cancerous tissue while minimizing the impact to the surrounding healthy tissues.

Hormone therapy. If your cancer is hormone-responsive, your doctors may consider hormone therapy as part of your treatment plan. The goal of hormone therapy treatment is to shrink the tumor by lowering the level of male hormones in your body. Reducing the size of the tumor can sometimes increase the success of surgery or radiation therapy.

In addition to the therapies described above, we offer complementary and alternative therapies such as nutritional therapy, physical therapy and emotional counseling. Our physicians and staff are with you every step of the way in your cancer journey.

To learn more about the treatment that right for you, call the MultiCare Regional Cancer Center at 253-403-2346 or the Dr. Richard C. Ostenson Cancer Center at 253-697-HOPE.

They can help you choose the next step that's right for you.