When recurrent or advanced prostate cancer does not respond to endocrine therapy, physicians will consider chemotherapy. Early stage prostate cancer is not usually treated with chemotherapy unless it is a clinical trial.
Chemotherapy usually consists of several courses followed by a recovery period, and the entire course of treatment usually lasts 3 to 6 months, depending on the type of chemotherapy drug used.
Method of administration
Chemotherapy drugs are usually given intravenously or orally. Once absorbed, the drug enters the bloodstream and travels through almost all parts of the body, eventually reaching cancer cells that have spread or metastasized to different parts of the body.
Timing of treatment
Advanced prostate cancer that has not responded to endocrine therapy may also be considered for chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is usually used to treat metastatic prostate cancer, which may be present at the time of diagnosis and sometimes recurs or metastasizes months or years after completion of initial treatment.
In addition, for patients with locally progressive prostate cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy may be given before surgery to reduce staging and make surgery more difficult, thus improving outcomes.
Purpose of chemotherapy
The purpose of chemotherapy is to reduce tumor size, control tumor progression, and eliminate as much of the tumor as possible.
Symptoms do not always disappear completely after chemotherapy, but they usually go into remission.