last updated 29 April 2026
- Surgery (radical prostatectomy)
The nerves and blood vessels (neurovascular bundles) that allow the penis to become erect run along either side of the prostate. To help a patient maintain the ability to have erections after surgery, either one or both of these bundles can be spared.
Lymph nodes close to the prostate may be removed during a prostatectomy so they can be checked for cancer.
A large body of evidence shows that in the case of surgery for prostate cancer, surgical experience matters greatly. Medical centers and surgeons performing a high number of prostatectomies per year demonstrate better outcomes in terms of both cancer control and quality of life than those performing relatively low numbers.
See Radical Prostatectomy at UCSF
- Radiation
- External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) - X-ray photons - is focused from a source outside the body onto the prostate and, if needed, surrounding lymph node areas.
- Brachytherapy (seed implants) - iny radiation seeds, each smaller than a grain of rice, that are implanted in or around the prostate gland (or both) to destroy cancer cells.
See more at Radiation therapy
- Hormone therapy improves the effectiveness of radiation for high-risk disease and i
- For advanced or recurrent cases:
Hormone therapy (androgen deprivation therapy {ADT is often recommended in conjunction with radiation therapy for men with intermediate- or high-risk localized disease.
(testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT)) that make cancer cells replicate quickly is reduced.
This is most often done to shrink the cancer before radiation therapy comes in to kill the rest of it.
Likely 2-4 years for a high-risk case.
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy, and targeted therapy
- Genetic testing -
Sometimes genetic testing can help finding a specific treatment.
This appears to be a new option and I couldn't find any articles which were vary specific on how treatments wold change.
See Risk Groups and Lab Tests to Help Determine Risk from Localized Prostate Cancer cancer.org
and Genetic testing in prostate cancer management: Considerations informing primary care
- Laser therapy
Laser therapy for prostate cancer, known as Focal Laser Ablation (FLA), is a minimally invasive treatment that uses heat generated by laser fibers to destroy specific cancerous tumors while sparing healthy tissue.
Laser-focused ablative therapy for prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia: A review of current applications and future directionsDiagnostic and Interventional Imaging - Revised 16 March 2025,
- Particle Therapy
Particle therapy for prostate cancer: The past, present and future | PbuMed J Urol, 2019
Dealing with Side Effects of Prostate Cancer Treatments UCSF
incontinence, osteoporosis (loss of bone density), Low Libido (Low Sex Drive) bowel obstructions, bleeding.
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