Types, signs and features of Stage 4 Prostate Cancer

It is said that a person is suffering from the stage 4 prostate cancer when he is suffering from the last stage of cancer. In this stage the cancer usually spreads to the other location of the body from its point of origin, especially in the bones. Stage 4 prostate cancer is diagnosed when: 

•  The cancer rapidly spreads to the nodes of the lymph located on the outer side of the   pelvic region.
• The tumor quickly spread to the nodes of the pelvic lymph.
• Prostate cancer diagnosed in this stage is often difficult to cure, although patients may live for several years with effective treatment.

Patients suffering from this disease is separated into 2 groups- patients who are diagnosed with pelvic cancer that include the lymph nodes and adjacent organs are categorized as D1 cancer patients while those whose cancerous cells have spread to distant parts of the body like bones, ribs, spine are categorized as D2 prostate cancer.

If your cancer has spread to a large area like in the pelvic zone, bladder, lymph nodes and other organs then surgery is not enough to treat the disease. The best treatment for these kinds of patients usually involves hormone therapy in combination with external beam radiation therapy. The use of the hormone therapy can eradicate the hormones in male that are responsible for the growth of the prostate cancer cells. Radiation and hormone therapy are blended together for patients who are suffering from the localized form of stage 4 prostate cancer.

It is not possible for stage 4 prostate cancer patients to recover with the standard chemotherapy procedures and blocking agents for testerone like Lupron. These can only reduce the quick spreading of the cancer cells to a certain extent but they have major side effects like breast tenderness and growth. It can also affect the health in the long term. If this can be followed along with radiation then it can prove to be a miracle for the life quality of these patients.
 

Cancer hospitals and tumor boards are continually researching for more innovative procedures like gene targeted chemotherapy and others. Presently, the treatment of stage 4 prostate cancer is limited only to the method of palliative radiotherapy.

Treatments for stage 4 prostate cancer

1. Androgen deprivation therapy : the hormones in male fuel the prostate cancer growth and the use of therapy can reduce the size of the cancer. These are possible only by the consumption of drugs that can interfere with the androgen. Removing the testicles through surgical methods, orchiectomy can also be beneficial.
2. Immunotherapy
3. Abiraterone
4. Secondary hormone therapy
5. Chemotherapy

It is necessary to consult with your physician before starting with any particular procedure.

Effective New Era Treatment practiced for Stage 4 Breast Cancer

Cancer - the name itself is terrifying for anybody. Stage 4 Breast cancer is in the advanced stage and there is huge chance that it has spread into other parts of the body. In this stage the patients have usually exhaust all their possible options for cure. Radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other surgical options do not really work. Most of these patients lose all hope and follow the conventional treatment options. Most doctors do not opt for a different treatment procedure and because of that cancer remains as an unsolved puzzle.

Treating breast cancer at advanced stage is critical. However, thinking out of the box can be beneficial sometimes. There are certain factors that influence the growth of 4th stage breast cancer. Inflammations, infections, cancer’s genetics and the related changes and immunity impairment can cause a lot of trouble in the advanced stages of breast cancer. There are some organizations where the experts try to treat breast cancer with tomorrow’s technology.

• Chemotherapy is not effective in advanced stage

People often think that chemotherapy can cure cancer in all the stages. The truth is that the success rate of chemotherapy on advanced stages of breast cancer is only 2%. Breast cancer mutates really fast and that is why chemotherapy does not really work on the advanced staged. Initially you might notice some changes, but later it stops working on the cancer cells. There are some experts and groups who are now trying target chemotherapy. It will work on the affected cells only. The success rate is much higher here.

• Radiotherapy, chemotherapy and Standard oncology treatments

Often the cancer spreads in multiple organs. Standard oncology treatment cannot always stop the metastasis and micro-metastasis together. For the oncologists it is a critical task to find out and track how the cancer cells are growing and spreading from breast to other organs. Both radiation and chemotherapy can reduce the size of the cancer cells and growths, but cannot kill it in the advanced stage. Advanced stage breast cancer spreads really fast and that is why the oncologists are now concentrating on the natural killer cells in the body. This can be a notable progress in case of breast cancer.

The immune system must be improved. Otherwise, the cancer cells will continue to grow even in a slower rate. Metastasis is the main reason behind the death of most of the cancer patients. The experts are now trying to imply target therapy and some other new age treatments for cancer. Hopefully, in the near future the name “cancer” won’t be a terrifying medical puzzle to the humankind.