Prostate cancer treatment options 
(after prostate cancer has been diagnosed)

*Please note that these are general options applying to Basingstoke practice. If you have questions or concerns about your specific diagnosis and treatment, you should talk to your specialist nurse.

Prostate cancer treatment depends on the stage of the cancer. We need to know if it is localised to the gland only, or if it has spread beyond the capsule which envelopes the gland. We then need to assess to what level it has spread - locally, to lymph glands, or to bone and other organs.

Prostate cancer which is localised to the gland has a number of treatment options:

Active surveillance

As many men with early prostate cancer die with the disease rather than from it, we can manage early prostate cancer by regular monitoring with clinical examination of the prostate and a regular blood test. If there are any signs from this that the disease may be progressing then other treatments can be offered.

Radical treatment (radiotherapy or surgery)

This involves treating the whole gland to destroy it and some surrounding structures.

Hormonal therapy

Prostate cancer tissue is dependent on testosterone to survive, so using hormonal therapy to reduce or make zero the level of testosterone in your blood can control the prostate cancer. However, after a number of years, some prostate cancer cells adapt so that they are no longer dependent on testosterone and hormonal therapy no longer helps.

New minimally-invasive treatments for prostate cancer

Many new treatments which aim to reduce the side-effects of the above treatments have come into practice over the last 5 years. These include:

• High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU): using sound waves to destroy prostate tissue
• Photodynamic therapy (PDT): using light energy to destroy prostate tissue
• Cryotherapy: freezing the tissue to kill it
• Radiofrequency ablation: using energy of a set frequency to destroy prostate tissue

All these treatments have varying success and good short-term results. You can see the latest results for the HIFU trial, part funded by Pelican, published in the Journal of Urology in April 2011. However, long-term data on cancer recurrence and survival is still awaited. You can read about one man’s experience on the HIFU trial by clicking here.

About prostate treatment in Basingstoke

In mid-2005, a dedicated Urological Treatment Unit in Basingstoke was initiated. The initial funding for the project was committed in partnership with the Greenham Common Trust in West Berkshire, providing treatment access for both NHS and private patients in the region.

This Unit specialises in delivering current modes of surgical treatment for prostate cancer but, more importantly, pursues advances in technology and techniques to improve treatment for patients across the South of England.

Looking ahead

Consultant Urological Surgeon Richard Hindley has pioneered the use of the high powered KTP (green-light laser) for benign prostate enlargement with considerable success. This vaporises prostate tissue and is set to replace traditional prostate surgery with its inherent side effects of incontinence and impotence.

We are very interested in seeing advances in minimally invasive technology.

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) employs sound to destroy small prostate cancer tumours, obviating the need for surgical removal, and, as in greenlight laser, reducing the possible side effects from surgery. Pelican is also investigating the use of HIFU for kidney and liver tumours. A HIFU machine has been donated by the Greenham Common Trust to the Basingstoke Unit.

Read more about the ongoing research in London and Basingstoke on focal therapy (HIFU) for prostate cancer in the research section.