How Prostate Cancer Therapeutics Have Revolutionized over the years and Which On

Posted by Ajinkya on March 15th, 2021

Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that beings in the gland cells of the prostate, which is found only in males. Although it is not clear what causes prostate cancer, doctors know that prostate cancer begins when some cells in the prostate become abnormal. Typical to cancer’s characteristics, mutations in the abnormal cells’ DNA cause the cells to grow and device rampantly than normal cells. The primary symptoms of prostate cancer include pain in bones, difficulty in starting & maintaining a steady stream of urine, excessive urination at night, urinary retention, frequent urination, or weak urination stream. There are different types of prostate cancer therapeutics including targeted therapy, testosterone suppression therapy, chemotherapy, and androgen axis inhibitors.

The androgen axis inhibitors (ADT) also referred to as androgen deprivation therapy is an antihormone therapy that is one of the frequently used prostate cancer therapeutics. ADT reduces the levels of androgen hormones with either surgery or drugs so as to prevent cancer cells from growing. The pharmaceutical approaches include chemical castration and antiandrogens. Another effective therapeutics used is targeted therapy. It typically uses drugs to identify and attack cancer cells and does very little damage to healthy cells. The most common type of prostate cancer therapeutics used for men who do not respond to hormonal treatment is radiation therapy. This is a form of therapy that uses high-energy rays to kill tumor cells. The procedure can be done both inside the body and outside. For example, it may be used on the prostate by using an X-ray machine and the radiation beam is sent through the body to kill cancer cells in various locations. A radioisotope (like xenon, cobalt, or palladium) is used to target specific cancerous tumors.

In addition to these four types of prostate cancer therapeutics, another therapy that is available is called photodynamic therapy. In this procedure, laser beams are used to kill cancer cells and improve the survival rate of patients. It is considered a minimally invasive treatment and can be performed as an outpatient procedure. Laser light uses light energy to destroy cancer cells. While the laser is not used on the prostate gland, the process works on the surrounding areas to kill cancerous cells and improve the quality of life of patients.

In photodynamic therapy, laser beams are used to destroy cancerous cells without damaging normal cells in the surrounding area. In this type of treatment, the treatment is very similar to a traditional tanning process; however, radiation exposure results of the ray in faster cell death than exposure to UV light. Photodynamic therapy may cause side effects such as skin discoloration and scarring, but the potential side effects may be temporary. The use of drugs called immunotherapies are the most effective of prostate cancer therapeutics and has been approved by the FDA to treat many forms of this disease. However, because of the risks involved with these medications, they are only recommended for patients with localized tumors. They are used to treat advanced and potentially fatal prostate cancers, and not for smaller lesions.

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