Endocrine therapy after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer

Written by Zhou Zi Hua
Oncology
Updated on September 16, 2024
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Endocrine therapy after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer is equivalent to adjuvant endocrine therapy for prostate cancer. Its purpose is to treat residual lesions, positive residual lymph nodes, and microscopic metastatic foci, thereby improving long-term survival rates. Currently, the indications for adjuvant endocrine therapy are based on postoperative pathology-positive results, positive lymph nodes post-surgery, and postoperative pathology confirmation of stage T3 or T4, but with high-risk factors. According to major guidelines, the duration of adjuvant endocrine therapy should be at least eighteen months.

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Written by Zhou Zi Hua
Oncology
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Endocrine therapy after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer

Endocrine therapy after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer is equivalent to adjuvant endocrine therapy for prostate cancer. Its purpose is to treat residual lesions, positive residual lymph nodes, and microscopic metastatic foci, thereby improving long-term survival rates. Currently, the indications for adjuvant endocrine therapy are based on postoperative pathology-positive results, positive lymph nodes post-surgery, and postoperative pathology confirmation of stage T3 or T4, but with high-risk factors. According to major guidelines, the duration of adjuvant endocrine therapy should be at least eighteen months.

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Written by Zhou Zi Hua
Oncology
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What causes prostate cancer?

The current causes of prostate cancer are not completely understood, but a large amount of research indicates that genetic and environmental factors play a significant role. Dietary factors, such as the intake of a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids, vasectomy, smoking, obesity, and alcohol consumption, also increase the risk of developing prostate cancer. Overall, the occurrence and development of prostate cancer are related to various factors, including both internal causes in the patient and the influence of external factors.

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Written by Zhou Zi Hua
Oncology
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Where can prostate cancer metastasize to?

When prostate cancer invades surrounding tissues and structures, it can cause a variety of clinical symptoms, including urinary irritation, urinary obstruction, urinary incontinence, sciatica, erectile dysfunction, etc., and can compress causing unilateral or bilateral hydronephrosis. In severe cases, when the tumor invades the rectum, it can cause difficulty in defecation or colon obstruction. When the cancer metastasizes to the bones, it can cause bone pain and pathological fractures, and may also spread to the lungs.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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Can prostate cancer be cured?

Prostate cancer, whether it can be cured or not, depends on the specific analysis of the patient with prostate cancer. If it is an early-stage patient, meaning there is no metastasis to distant organs, and it is assessed that radical surgery or radical radiotherapy can be performed, then these early-stage prostate cancer patients still have the hope of being cured through these treatment methods. However, for patients with advanced prostate cancer, such as those who are diagnosed with multiple bone metastases at the onset—a very common clinical occurrence, prostate cancer combined with bone metastasis is very common—these advanced-stage prostate cancer patients cannot be cured through treatment. The purpose of treatment is to alleviate the patient's pain and extend the patient's survival, but these advanced-stage patients cannot be cured.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
50sec home-news-image

Can prostate cancer be detected by color ultrasound?

Ultrasound is also a method for screening prostate cancer, but it is generally combined with Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) for a comprehensive consideration in prostate cancer screening. If prostate nodules are found during a prostate color Doppler ultrasound, the differentiation between prostate cancer and benign prostatic nodules can be aided by the variations in internal echoes, but this is only a reference and cannot be 100% certain. Thus, in clinical practice, it is also combined with PSA for a comprehensive evaluation. Generally, a PSA greater than 10 suggests a higher likelihood of malignancy. The diagnosis of prostate cancer requires a biopsy to confirm the pathology.