Other Treatment Options

Surgery and radiation therapy remain the standard treatment for localized prostate cancer, but other, less popular treatment options might be beneficial as well. As time goes on and the benefits of these treatment options are further explored, it’s possible that they will move more into the mainstream. For now, though, none are seen as standard treatments for localized prostate cancer.

Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy, also known as cryosurgery or cryoablation, has been around for years, but until a few years ago, it was rarely used. With this approach, probes are inserted into the prostate through the perineum (the space between the scrotum and the anus), and argon gas or liquid nitrogen is delivered to the prostate, literally freezing to death the prostate cells and any prostate tumors. (Review the roles of the prostate and the surrounding organs in the About the Prostate section.)

Over the years, a number of modifications were made to avoid freezing damage to the nearby structures, but the rates for both erectile and urinary dysfunction remain high, and data on long-term outcomes are limited.

Cryotherapy is also used as a secondary local therapy in men who underwent radiation therapy as initial treatment for early-stage prostate cancer. Note that men with more well-confined disease tend to fare better, while those who received hormone therapy in addition to radiation therapy tend to fare worse.

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound

High-intensity focused ultrasound, or HIFU, works in exactly the opposite way compared with cryotherapy: with HIFU, the prostate cells are heated to death. A probe is inserted into the rectum, from which very high-intensity ultrasound waves are delivered to the target area. Although this technique remains experimental in the United States, it’s been used in Europe for a number of years with a fair amount of success.

Primary Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy, also known as androgen-deprivation therapy or ADT, is designed to stop testosterone from being released or to prevent the hormone from acting on the prostate cells. (A review of common hormone therapy strategies can be found in the Hormone Therapy section.)

Although there is little, if any, data to show that hormone therapy alone is an effective treatment strategy for men with localized prostate cancer, it is increasingly being used in this setting. Because it is not invasive, it is possible that the therapy is seen as a middle ground between active surveillance and local therapy.

Additional Reading:

Prostate Cancer News: Treatment and Outcomes