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There are a wide variety of treatments available for the management of prostate cancer. Radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation, and radioactive prostate seed implant are potential cures for prostate cancer. Hormone therapy may force the cancer into a prolonged remission but does not provide a cure unless it is combined with other treatments. The most commonly used treatments include the following:

1. RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY—surgical removal of the entire prostate gland.
   
2. EXTERNAL BEAM RADIATION—treatment with high energy X-rays, delivered by powerful linear accelerators. The X-rays pass through the patient and preferentially kill cancer cells.
   
3. RADIOACTIVE PROSTATE SEED IMPLANT—treatment delivered by radioactive pellets that are placed directly into the prostate and surrounding tissues. This type of treatment is also called brachytherapy, which comes from the Greek word “brachy” which means near or close to; in other words, therapy that is near or close to the tumor. The two types of radioactive seeds most commonly used are: Palladium-103 (Pd-103) and Iodine-125 (I-125). Seed implants can deliver two to four times more radiation than external beam radiation.
   
4. HORMONE THERAPY—treatment which either stops male hormone production or blocks male hormones from acting on the tumor. Most prostate cancers are stimulated to grow by testosterone and other similar male hormones. When the production of these hormones is suppressed, or these hormones are prevented from getting to the tumor, the cancer will usually stop growing and shrink. This treatment can work well for many years.
   
5. WATCHFUL WAITING—patients whose cancers are not likely to harm them are candidates for watchful waiting. With watchful waiting, patients do not undergo treatment, but rather they are carefully monitored with routine PSA tests. For some patients periodic repeat prostate biopsies are also performed.

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