The treatment options available for urological cancer are:
Brachytherapy: A radiation therapy for prostate cancer where tiny radiation seeds are put directly into the prostate tissue to deliver low doses of radiation over time.
Prostatectomy: Surgery that involves removal of the prostate gland. The different techniques used are:
- Robotic prostatectomy
- Retropubic surgery
- Perineal surgery
Hormone therapy: A prostate cancer treatment option that is used to reduce the size of the tumour prior to radiation. The 3 options of hormone therapy are:
- Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) agonists block the messages that tell the testicles to make testosterone.
- Anti-androgens keep testosterone away from reaching the cancer cells.
- Removal of both the testicles through a surgery called orchiectomy lowers the testosterone levels.
Radical inguinal orchiectomy: Used to treat testicular cancer, this is a surgical process that removes one testicle.
Penectomy (partial or total): This treatment procedure is used in some stages of penile cancer, if the cancer has spread deep into the penis. A partial penectomy removes the end of the penis while total penectomy involves removing the entire penis.
Nephrectomy: Used to treat renal or kidney cancer, this is a surgical procedure that removes a kidney, some surrounding tissue and the lymph nodes that are closest to the affected kidney.
Nephron-sparing surgery: Otherwise known as partial nephrectomy, this is a surgical procedure that aims to remove the tumor and some healthy tissue surrounding the tumor (the margin), leaving some kidney behind.
Intravesical immunotherapy: This is used to treat early-stage bladder cancer and involves injecting a liquid drug into the area affected by cancer.
Transurethral resection (TUR): This is a surgical procedure done to remove bladder cancer that is in the inner layers of the bladder and hasn't spread. The process involves a loop-shaped wire that burns away cancer cells with an electric current.
Radical cystectomy: A surgical procedure performed to remove the bladder and the surrounding lymph nodes when cancer has attacked the bladder wall and possibly surrounding lymph nodes and organs.
Segmental cystectomy: Otherwise known as a partial cystectomy, this surgery involves removal of only the part of the bladder that contains cancer cells.
The above cited treatment procedures is a partial list of cancer treatments. Other treatments may be available to you, depending on your condition.