Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy involves treating cancer with certain drugs that can destroy cancer cells, stop or slow their spread and growth, and in some cases reduce pain associated with tumors. Chemotherapy is often used to treat patients with cancer that has spread beyond the prostate gland. However, it is usually not recommended for those patients with early stage prostate cancer or for older patients because of their intolerance for these anticancer drugs.

Anticancer drugs may be given to patients in combination with other cancer-fighting drugs or treatments. The drugs are taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle. They then travel throughout the body to kill cancer cells that have spread from where they originated. However, anticancer drugs may damage normal cells, and this may cause various side effects including nausea and vomiting, hair loss, a loss of appetite, mouth sores, fatigue, a compromised immune system that increases one’s chance of infection, and increased chances of bleeding and bruising. Some of the more common drugs used to treat prostate cancer include estramustine phosphate, mitoxantrone, docetaxel, and cisplatin. You should speak to your doctor about methods and treatments to prevent or reduce the severity of any side effects that you experience.

Advantages of chemotherapy

• Used in patients in stage D with a mean survival time of only seven to eight months without chemotherapy
• May ease localized pain caused by tumors

Disadvantages of chemotherapy

• Complete remission is rare
• Difficult to determine the effectiveness of such therapy
• Side effects may be severe and may include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, loss or hair, mouth sores, fatigue, and an increase of bleeding an bruising
• A compromised immune system that can lead to an increased risk of infection