Prostate Cancer Prognosis 2
If you suffer from prostate cancer that is a stage three case, this regionalized tumor has spread beyond the prostate. But as far as your physician can tell, it has not yet reached more distant sites in your body, or the lymph nodes.
Stage three cancers are often treated with external beam radiation. This is less invasive than surgery for prostate cancer, and it is also a better suited procedure for bulky tumors. Some men opt to have the surgery, and some are more comfortable relying on watching and waiting.
If your post-surgery tumor is reclassified as stage three, that generally means that the cancer had spread into the lymph nodes or through the prostate capsule. You may be advised to have radiation therapy after that surgery. There are ongoing studies that are evaluating this approach.
Stage three tumors can be large enough to create problems when you urinate. Those may be treated by hormonal therapy, transurethral prostate resection, surgery or radiation therapy.
If you suffer from stage three prostate cancer, your long term prognosis depends on how far the disease has progressed. Once the cancer has grown beyond the prostate capsule, there is a 50/50 chance that it will progress within the next ten years. If the cancer has spread to the seminal vesicles, that makes recurrence more likely. In a study of men who were treated with radiation twenty years ago, close to half of these men eventually did die of prostate cancer, but nearly as many men died of other causes, without any signs of recurring cancer.
If you have metastatic prostate cancer, this means that the cancer has spread to distant body parts or into the lymph nodes near the prostate. If you opt for hormonal therapy, this can usually improve your symptoms and cause a delay in the cancer’s progress for about two or three more years. If your cancer only affects the lymph nodes beyond the prostate, you may utilize hormonal therapy to slow down the progress of this cancer for an even longer period of time. But if you have cancer in the lymph nodes when you receive hormone therapy, you will remain at risk for a development of more metastatic disease in the ten years following your treatment. Bone metastases especially are less responsive to hormone therapy.
If you have prostate cancer, you will, of course, be concerned about what your future will look like. If you understand your cancer and what you might expect, this can help you and your family to plan appropriate treatment methods, and to make decisions about changes in lifestyle and your quality of life. Most men with prostate cancer either ask their physician for a realistic prognosis, or check for information themselves.
Some people think that knowing the statistics makes it easier to cope, but others find that the information is frightening and confusing, and not personal enough for them to use. Your physician, who is most familiar with your individual case, can best speak to your prognosis and explain what the available statistics mean for you personally.