Stage IV prostate cancer is ultimately an advanced stage of the disease. It will no longer be contained within the prostate and will have spread into other organs, tissues or bones. Typically, this stage of cancer isn't curable, so most of the treatments will revolve around reducing the symptoms of the condition and making you as comfortable as possible. This doesn't necessarily mean that your fate is sealed, as prostate cancer itself is a relatively slow growing disease, according to the Mayo Clinic, and as science progresses so do the forms of treatment.
Instructions
1. Use "watchful waiting." According to the Cleveland Clinic, this form of treatment for Stage IV prostate cancer may actually be the most appropriate when the cancer is causing no signs or symptoms. It essentially entails no treatment, just watching the progression of the disease to ensure that the patient is comfortable. This form of treatment is really ideal for the elderly or people in poor health. If the status were to change, another mode of care could then be used.
2. Try hormone therapy. Some people with advanced prostate cancer, as would be seen in Stage IV, may respond quite positively to hormone therapy as a form of treatment for their condition, according to the Mayo Clinic. What the mode of treatment entails is limiting the production of certain hormones, like testosterone, to slow the progression or in fact shrink the cancer.
3. Turn to surgery. With Stage IV prostate cancer, surgery would generally be used to more so treat symptoms of the condition, like bleeding or obstructions caused by the cancer, rather than as a "cure" for the disease.
4. Utilize radiation therapy. While not as common as the aforementioned treatments for Stage IV prostate cancer, some medical professionals may turn to radiation therapy to destroy the cancerous cells. This is a painless procedure with very limited and mild side effects.
5. Try using an alternative method of treatment in the form of dietary supplements to relieve symptoms of Stage IV prostate cancer. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are a number of supplements on the market today that are believed to treat diseases of the prostate, including saw palmetto, pumpkin, rye grass, stinging nettle and African plum tree. These supplements are still being tested and may not help relieve symptoms you are currently experiencing.
6. Seek out pain management. If Stage IV prostate cancer is causing you symptoms that involve pain and discomfort, you may want to discuss the option of pain management as a mode of treatment. Your doctor with be able to prescribe the proper medications to make you comfortable and in as little pain as possible.
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