National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute
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Treatment Choices for Men With Early-Stage Prostate Cancer
    Posted: 02/14/2006
3. What happens during treatment?

Watchful Waiting

You will not start active treatment.

You will have regular visits to the doctor and examinations.

You and your doctor will watch for signs that the cancer may be changing.

You may repeat the same tests you had before, such as DREs and PSA tests.

Surgery

Surgery takes about 2 to 4 hours.

Most patients stay in the hospital for 2 to 4 days.

After surgery, you will need to use a catheter (tube to drain your urine) for 1 to 2 weeks.

Radiation Therapy

External Beam Radiation

  • Your doctor will calculate the dose of the radiation beam to the cancer location while trying to avoid the nearby normal tissue.
  • You will lie on a table while a large machine with a beam targets your cancer cells using radiation.
  • Each session takes about 15 minutes and is given daily for 5 days a week for 6 to 8 weeks.

Brachytherapy or Seed Implants

  • Radioactive seeds (the size of grains of rice) are inserted into the prostate or surrounding area using hollow needles through the space between the scrotum and the anus.
  • It takes 1 to 2 hours with spinal or general anesthesia.
  • The seeds are left in permanently.

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Table of Links

1http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/prostate-cancer-treatment-choices/page6
2http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/prostate-cancer-treatment-choices/page4
3http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/prostate-cancer-treatment-choices/page8