Prostate Cancer Treatment

International patients please learn more here or call 1.713.441.2340.

If you receive a prostate diagnosis, your oncologist will determine the stage to understand the cancer size, location and metastasis (spread). Cancer staging helps your health care team know what areas of the body are affected and in need of treatment:

 

• Stage I – Cancer is only located in the prostate and unable to be felt during a rectal exam. Cancer is found in one part of the prostate only.
• Stage II – Cancer is only located in the prostate and can be felt during a rectal exam. For IIA, cancer is found in one part of the prostate only. For IIB, cancer may be found in both sides of the prostate.
• Stage III – Cancer has spread outside the prostate and into nearby tissues or the seminal vesicles (the glands that create semen) but not into the lymph nodes. Some men first experience some minor symptoms  at this stage.
• Stage IV – Cancer has spread to lymph nodes, other organs or bones. It is typically at this stage men may experience more noticeable symptoms.

 

Innovative Approaches to Treating Prostate Cancer

We are committed to superior outcomes from diagnosis through treatment and recovery. The board-certified prostate surgeons at Houston Methodist are specially trained with expertise in managing the full spectrum of diseases of the prostate.

Our physician-scientists study and develop new therapies to improve treatment. This dedication to medical research and quality patient care attracts the world’s leading doctors, surgeons and researchers to Houston Methodist. Our experience and patient-focused approach have established Houston Methodist as a highly sought-after destination for prostate cancer treatment.

If you receive a prostate cancer diagnosis, your oncology care team tailors your specific treatment plan to the unique characteristics of your type and stage of cancer. We also consider your individual needs and lifestyle.

Diseases of the prostate can cause chronic issues that impact health and quality of life for years. Our medical professionals strive to provide life-altering interventions. Our goal is to treat your cancer and manage your pain, all while preserving healthy tissue and cells.

Your care team may use one or more of the following methods to treat and manage your cancer.

Hormone Therapy

Prostate cancer only grows in the presence of certain hormones. For this reason, we sometimes use hormone therapy to treat it. Hormone therapy treatment works by depriving cancer cells of the hormones they need to survive. It is achieved by either using medications that stop the production of certain hormones or, in some cases, removing hormone-producing organs such as the testes.

If hormone therapy is part of your recommended treatment plan, your doctor helps you understand what to expect during and after treatment. Side effects of hormone therapy may include weight gain, hot flashes, nausea and infertility.

Radiation Therapy

Our radiation oncologists are experts in the most innovative radiation therapy techniques, enabling them to precisely target the tumor while preserving healthy surrounding tissue. We may recommend either internal or external radiation therapy to treat your prostate cancer.

Internal radiation therapy is sometimes called brachytherapy. During this type of radiation therapy, radioactive materials (isotopes) sealed in tiny pellets are placed in the tumor using devices, including needles or catheters. The isotopes give off radiation as they decay, which damages nearby cancer cells.

For external radiation therapy, radiation rays are directed at your prostate, using external beams to damage cancer cells. External beam radiation therapies sometimes used for prostate cancer treatment include intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).

IMRT uses hundreds of radiation beam-shaping devices to deliver a single dose. The radiation beam intensity can change to allow different tumor areas or nearby tissues to receive varying radiation doses. A computer program calculates the number of beams and angles needed in the prostate area.

SBRT delivers radiation therapy to small, isolated tumors, but in fewer sessions using smaller radiation fields and higher doses at specific sites, including the lungs, liver, abdomen, spine, prostate, breast, and head and neck.

Radiation can cause incontinence or erectile dysfunction.

Surgery

Our urologists perform traditional and robotic prostate cancer surgeries. We were the first in Texas to perform robotically assisted prostate surgery more than a decade ago, and since then, our urologists have treated thousands of patients.

During surgery for prostate cancer, a surgeon removes the prostate and surrounding tissue through small incisions. This may cause temporary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

Our doctors also offer retzius-sparing robotic prostate cancer surgery, which keeps the bladder intact while the prostate is removed, preserving surrounding tissue. This procedure reduces the side effects experienced after traditional robotic prostate surgery, such as incontinence, and reduces the time it takes to recover from surgery. We offer this procedure at our Texas Medical Center and West Houston locations.

High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)

Houston Methodist offers high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), one of the most advanced prostate cancer treatments available in the U.S. We offer this procedure at our Texas Medical Center and West Houston locations. 

This minimally invasive treatment uses focused ultrasonic waves to generate heat, effectively targeting and destroying cancerous cells in the prostate. Unlike other prostate treatment options, HIFU offers precise ablation with minimal disruption to surrounding healthy tissue, which speeds recovery and reduces side effects and complications.

For optimal accuracy, our doctors can couple MRI with ultrasound imaging to further visualize the prostate and localize the treatment areas. With this real-time, enhanced imaging during the HIFU procedure, your doctor can avoid important structures like the neurovascular bundle, which affects erectile function, and the sphincter, which controls bladder function.

Candidates for this procedure may include:

 

• Men suffering from recurrent cancer who have not succeeded with radiation therapy
• Elderly men with aggressive disease with higher incontinence risk
• Men who are newly diagnosed with early cancer
• Men who are concerned about radiation risks

 

Reconstructive Surgery

Reconstructive surgery can help restore the structure and some amount of function to areas affected by prostate cancer or prostate cancer treatment. Cancer reconstructive surgery helps rebuild the areas of your body affected by cancer or cancer treatment — re-establishing shape and function.

Whether reconstructive surgery is needed before, during or after a cancer diagnosis or cancer treatment, our specialists have the expertise to:

 

• Restore shape and function in areas of the body affected by the surgical removal of cancer
• Regenerate peripheral nerve function using microsurgery
• Correct complications from cancer treatments offered elsewhere
• Restore body function that can be lost as a side effect of radiation therapy

When possible, our reconstructive surgeons use minimally invasive surgical techniques, which can result in fewer complications and faster recovery.