Cryotherapy

For some men, cryosurgery is an option. The surgeon inserts a tool through a small cut between the scrotum and anus.

Cryosurgery freezes and thaws tissue to kill prostate cancer with the surgeon being guided by ultrasound. Also called cryotherapy, it is often used when the prostate has more advanced, yet still confined disease, and when surgery is not an option. The prostate is not removed with this approach.

Cryosurgery can result in injury to the rectum, incontinence, swelling of the scrotum, pain or numbness in the penis, or blocked urine flow. In 1 in 200 cases, a hole (called a fistula) appears between the rectum and prostate. Results depend highly on the doctor's skill and experience. Success rates may not be as high as with prostatectomy or with any form of external beam radiation therapy. Long-term results for this type of treatment are not yet known.

High-intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)

Doctors are testing HIFU in men with early prostate cancer. A probe is placed in the rectum. The probe gives off high-intensity ultrasound waves that heat up and destroy the prostate tumor.Hormone therapy: Researchers are studying different schedules of hormone therapy, and they are combining it with other treatments.

Biological Therapy

Biologic therapy is a treatment that uses the patient’s immune system to fight cancer. Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct, or restore the body’s natural defenses against cancer. This type of cancer treatment is also called biotherapy or immunotherapy.

Proton Beam Radiation Therapy

Proton beam radiation therapy is a type of high-energy, external radiation therapy that targets tumors with streams of protons (small, positively charged particles). This type of radiation therapy is being studied in the treatment of prostate cancer.