Research for prostate cancer is ongoing. The following advances may still be under investigation in Clinical Trials and may not be approved or available at this time. Always discuss all diagnostic and treatment options with your doctor.
Identifying causes of prostate cancer. Researchers continue to explore the link between nutrition and lifestyle factors in the development of prostate cancer.
PSA test improvements. Researchers are developing a better PSA test, either a more specific and precise test or another test altogether. With improved testing, larger numbers of healthy men could be screened for prostate cancer, so more prostate cancers can be found and treated early.
Improved surgical techniques. Better techniques for nerve-sparing surgery can improve the likelihood that men who need radical prostatectomy retain their urinary continence and sexual potency after surgery.
Shorter courses of radiation therapy. With better, more precise external-beam radiation therapy, researchers are exploring much shorter and convenient treatment schedules. Instead of 40 treatments, researchers are evaluating 28, 12, or only five treatments.
High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). This procedure, which is still investigational in the United States, uses transrectal ultrasound to heat and destroy cancer cells.
Tests that evaluate the success of treatment. These tests can help doctors know if chemotherapy is working.
- Circulating tumor cells (cells that have broken free of the tumor) can be used to monitor the effectiveness of treatment; this test uses a patient’s blood sample to collect the circulating tumor cells.
- A biomarker called prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3), measured with a urine test; this test is designed to help decide who needs immediate treatment and who can wait.
Therapy for advanced prostate cancer. Researchers are exploring different chemotherapy options for advanced prostate cancer through a series of clinical trials. In addition, several approaches designed to stimulate the patient’s immune response against prostate cancer are being tested in clinical trials; this is call immunotherapy or biologic therapy.
Last Updated: October 07, 2009
