Frequently Asked Questions

This content has been reviewed and approved by

Daniel P. Petrylak, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, Genitourinary Oncology Program
Columbia University Medical Center
 

Our oncologists have been asked many questions specific to prostate cancer. In this section, they provide answers to the questions that patients ask most often.

Here is a recent question and answer. To see more FAQs, choose one of the links below.

Question: I have an enlarged prostate as well as localized prostate cancer. Someone in my prostate cancer support group mentioned that hormonal therapy would be helpful to take before my radical prostatectomy. Is it useful to take hormonal therapy before surgery?

Answer: Thus far, there has been evidence that the tumor may be down-staged if hormonal therapy is given before surgery. However, time to PSA progression has not been changed with hormonal therapy before radical prostatectomy versus prostatectomy alone. Therefore, most urologists do not recommend taking hormonal therapy before this surgery.

More FAQs in Prostate Cancer

Diagnosis 

Watchful Waiting 

Chemotherapy 

Hormonal Therapy 

Radiation 

Surgery 

Salvage Therapy 

Metastatic Disease 

Nutrition 

Prevention 

This content was last reviewed August 15, 2010 by Dr. Reshma L. Mahtani.
Latest Prostate Cancer News
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FDA staff unsure about new use for Amgen's Xgeva

February 6, 2012 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Reviewers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that they were not sure whether Amgen Inc's Xgeva bone drug should be approved for a wider use of delaying the spread of cancer to the bone.

UK says home-grown cancer pill too costly to use

February 2, 2012 — LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's health cost watchdog NICE sparked a major row on Thursday by snubbing a pricey new prostate cancer pill discovered at the country's top cancer research center, a decision critics said was bad for patients and research.

Select news items provided by Reuters Health