Treatment Comparison
Deciding which prostate cancer treatment option is best for you can be extremely confusing. There are a lot of treatment options available and it is sometimes hard to understand what the pros and cons of each are. The below comparison chart provides a general overview of the various treatment options for your review.
| Treatment |
Description |
Selected Risks |
Recovery |
Selected Outcomes |
| High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) | Minimally invasive use of intersecting, precision-focused ultrasound waves to ablate diseased tissue. | In approved countries
Incontinence: 0-2%
Impotence: 20-30% | Temporary catheter worn for approximately 2-3 weeks; resume normal lifestyle almost immediately | 94% biochemical disease-free survival rate at 4 years
87% negative biopsy rate at 6 months |
| Cryotherapy | Minimally invasive procedure using controlled freeze | Incontinence: 4-27%
Impotence: 51-80% | 2-3 hour procedure with possible overnight stay; return to normal activities within a few days | 78% biochemical disease free survival at 1 year;
60% at 5-7 years
88% negative biopsy rate at 5 years |
| Radical Prostatectomy | Major surgery to remove prostate; can be open retropubic, or laparoscopic or robotic | Incontinence: 4-34%
Impotence: 51-80% | 2-3 day hospital stay; catheter for 2-3 weeks for open surgery; shorter hospitalization and few postoperative complications | 85-91% biochemical disease-free survival at 2 years;
68-72% biochemical disease-free survival at 10 years |
| External Beam Radiation | 6 to 8 week treatment, beaming radiation through healthy tissues | Incontinence: 4-7%
Impotence: 41-62%
Bowel problems more common than with other treatments | Five treatments per week for 6 to 8 weeks; up to 2 months fatigue after full course of treatment | 78% survival rate at 5 years
55-65% biochemical disease-free survival at 5 years; 49% at 10 years |
| Internal Radiation Seeds (Brachytherapy) | Minimally invasive implants of radiation seeds in the prostate | Incontinence: 3-18%
Impotence 44-58% | 1-2 hour procedure with possible overnight stay; return to normal activities within a few days | 85 -91% biochemical disease-free survival at 10-12 years |
Important Information: The information provided in the chart may not include all potential risk, recovery and outcome information. For further details please consult a physician. HIFU treatment is not currently approved for use by the FDA in the U.S. and is being studied for the treatment of prostate cancer in clinical trials.