ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER

Exact causes of prostate cancer are not known. However, the following factors increase the risk of developing prostate cancer:

• Age: Men who are 50 or older
• Race: African-American men have the highest risk the disease tends to start at younger ages and grows faster than in men of non-Caucasian races.
• Family History: Men whose fathers or brothers have had prostate cancer have a higher risk than men who do not have a family history of the disease. Prostate cancer risk also appears to be slightly higher for men from families with a history of breast cancer.
• Diet: Risk may be higher for men who eat high-fat diets.
• Smoking
• Obesity-being overweight is associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer.

Essentially, the factors that determine a patient’s longevity after diagnosis are:

• Age
• Condition of a person’s overall health
• Stage of the cancer
• Physical symptoms
• Where the cancer may have spread
• If the cancer has affected any bones
• Outlook on life
• Social life

Each person is different, which makes it difficult to determine how much longer a person may live. It’s more like an educated guess rather than a precise mathematical equation. In other words, no doctor can ever state with complete certainty how long a person with any advanced cancer could live. Each person also responds differently to the same types of treatments. Other issues that cannot be overlooked but also differ from person to person are their mental outlook on life and social support; doctors cannot prescribe friendships or worldviews, though they can suggest support groups that help people with similar problems learn to cope with their situations.

When a patient is diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, what medical care is available becomes very important. In a large specialist clinical network, its many doctors regularly share new knowledge and experiences with each other, so a patient is assured of receiving the best care possible. Thanks to significant advances in management options, like those available through Advanced Urology Institute, a patient’s outlook after a diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer has improved considerably over the past decade or two.

Advanced prostate cancer has several disease states, from left to right, as indicated here. A man is identified as having a certain disease state based on prostate biopsy results, imaging, and previous treatments.

Treatment depends on the state of your cancer and the effectiveness of current and previous treatments. Your AUI care team may recommend one (or a combination) of these treatments:

• Radiation therapy
• Surgery
• Androgen deprivation therapy (suppressing testosterone production in body)
• Additional oral  testosterone suppression therapies
• Medications for patients with certain genetic alterations
• Genetic testing
• Chemotherapy
• Infusion medication
• Advanced imaging
• Clinical trials – participation provides  access to the latest advancements being researched for  treating advanced prostate cancer

Pharmacy services for Advanced Prostate Cancer Patients

If you have been diagnosed with Advanced Prostate Cancer and have been prescribed medication, we may be able to help lower your prescription costs and provide convenience and support through our in-house pharmacy services.