An advanced prostate cancer diagnosis can be equal parts overwhelming and frightening. At Greater Boston Urology, we treat advanced prostate cancer patients in-house at our Advanced Prostate Cancer Centers in Dedham and Plymouth.

Treatment options for advanced prostate cancer can vary widely and depend on each patient's unique case. Dr. Michael Geffin, who heads up the Advanced Prostate Cancer Center in Plymouth, recently did a video in which he provided an overview of treatments.

Below is a recap of what he discussed and some statistics we included for reference. (We're embedding the video at the end if you'd prefer to watch it.)

As with all content on our site, the following is educational, not medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about your specific health needs.

How common is prostate cancer?

According to the American Cancer Society . . .

• 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
• Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer.
• Prostate cancer tends to occur more frequently in older men. The typical age at diagnosis is around 67.
• African American men, Caribbean men, and men of African ancestry are at higher risk than men of other races.
  
  

Even though prostate cancer is a serious disease, most men don't die from it.

What about advanced prostate cancer?

Dr. Geffin says, "Prostate cancer is a very prevalent disease in our communities. And a certain percentage of them can be low-grade and low-volume. But a percentage of them can be aggressive disease, which can then become metastatic."

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health notes, "In 10 to 15 percent of cases, the cancer is aggressive and advances beyond the prostate, sometimes turning lethal."

What happens when a patient has advanced prostate cancer?

Generally, advanced prostate cancer patients have already undergone primary therapy, such as radiation or surgery, but their PSA levels have subsequently started to rise. That can be an indicator of prostate cancer cells in the patient's body, which are now growing after the primary treatment.

Dr. Geffin says the next step is usually hormonal therapy.

"The treatments for the advanced prostate cancer patient can be androgen deprivation therapy," he says, "which is classically a shot. Sometimes surgery, which is the removing of the testicles to bring the testosterone down. There can also be pills, which are in addition to the basic hormonal blockers."

These advanced hormonal blockers can extend men's lives when the cancer becomes a fairly significant disease.

Dr. Geffin adds, "We can arrange for the medications for those patients, be it the shots here in the office or the pills, which they can take at home."

The treatments do come with side effects. Dr. Geffin says, "Typically, in the hormonal treatments, men will experience hot flashes. They can have osteoporosis if it's long-term. They'll have a sense of blasé and some fat redistribution around the midline."

New prostate cancer treatments on the horizon

Dr. Geffin says some exciting new therapies are in the works, including radioligand therapy, which targets specific proteins found on the surface of cancer cells.

"So if we can attach either a radioligand, which is radiotherapy, to an antibody which targets directly to PSA," Dr. Geffin explains, "then that radioligand goes only to the prostate cancer cells. And so, therefore, it will only address those. This is a newer treatment, which is an exciting area. There are also medications which are going to be coming up, and I think that is the future of the advanced prostate cancer treatment modalities."

More helpful reading:

• Prostate Cancer Patient Resources
• Black Men & Prostate Cancer: What to Keep in Mind
• 17 Interesting Facts About Prostate Cancer and the Prostate Gland
  
  

Here's Dr. Geffin talking about advanced prostate cancer

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