There are many options for prostate cancer treatment. You may feel overwhelmed as you explore them.
This guide will help you better understand your options and get ready to talk with your doctors. You’ll have the information you need to make the best decisions for your care together.
Your care team includes doctors, nurses, and other experts in prostate cancer. MSK’s prostate cancer experts will make a treatment plan just for you.
Your prostate cancer treatment will target the type and stage of prostate cancer you have. It will be based on the latest research and therapies. During your treatment, you may have a few therapies for the best possible results.
Some people with prostate cancer have surgery to remove cancer that has not spread. The type of surgery depends on the type of prostate cancer you have and its location, size, and stage.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. We use radiation therapy to treat people for many types of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer hormone therapy, theranostics, targeted therapies, chemotherapy (chemo), and immunotherapy are called systemic therapies. They spread throughout the body to treat cancer.
Focal therapy uses precise image-guided procedures to treat prostate cancer. Cryoablation, high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), and NanoKnife ® are focal therapies.
Talk with an MSK Care Advisor. We're here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We care for every person with kindness, warmth, and respect.
Your care team includes doctors, nurses, and other experts who focus on prostate cancer. They work together using the latest science and research to create your care plan. It will focus on what matters most to you and what’s best for the cancer you have.
To better understand what is causing the tumor to grow, we may do genetic testing or special molecular imaging studies. These tests could help us offer a targeted treatment for the type of prostate cancer you have.
Newly diagnosed? Hear advice from our patients.
Michael:
You have a diagnosis of cancer, and there's all this fear and there's apprehension and you're nervous and you're scared. You've got surgery in front of you. You've got quality of life issues ahead of you. What I wish I had known was that you can come out the other side of this journey.
Lorena:
When I received the news that I had cancer, it was devastating and I was lost, completely lost.
Ming:
You are meeting with a lot of different people, so what I would really recommend to patients is just do your best to take notes.
Michael:
Come to the appointment prepared. Come with questions.
Norma:
I had questions about my recovery. I had questions about the possibility of chemo. I was placed on a clinical trial, and I had questions about that.
Michael:
Prior to coming to MSK, my wife and I had been to a variety of different doctors, and we got a lot of different answers and no clear direction. It was the first time that a definitive plan was put in place where I actually had a recommendation of which way to go.
Ming:
My care team consisted of doctors, social workers, nurses.
Michael:
It's not just one doctor you're dealing with. You're dealing with all of MSK and their entire team approach to your care.
Lorena:
The way they greet me, it was just overwhelming. I was so happy. It was 100% personalized for me.
Norma:
I was told to expect patient-centered care and I kind of felt that from the beginning, from that first day that I walked in.
Ming:
There were even people there just to hang out with me and to kill time. If you need something, ask. And even if it's something small like, “Nothing tastes good,” or “Everything tastes awful and I can't eat any of this,” it's important to tell someone and they can help you address your needs as a patient
Lorena:
One of the programs that I found helpful was Integrated Medicine. For example, acupuncture. It helped me to calm down; and then after the treatment, it managed the pain.
Norma:
I immediately used the nutrition program because it was amazing. I used their PT program. I used their Visible Ink program, which is wonderful and it gives you tremendous emotional support.
Lorena:
Another thing that is very helpful is the MSK Patient Portal. You can set up appointments. You can request prescriptions. You can also use the portal for a telemedicine visit. On the days that you don't have any energy, telemedicine is there for you. There is no difference at all between being seen in person or telemedicine.
Norma:
I never felt that I couldn't call someone, even if it was the doctor's nurse, and just talk.
Ming:
The silver lining from being diagnosed with cancer is I taught myself how to be positive.
Lorena:
This experience taught me to live in the moment, and you learn how to live life in a better way.
At MSK, we take care of the person, not just the cancer. We offer support and resources to help you and your caregivers, during and after treatment.
Your care plan may include nutrition advice, physical therapy, exercise, and mental health support. Our continued care experts help you manage the side effects of prostate cancer and its treatments.
Cancer and its treatments can have an impact on your sexual health. These changes can affect your physical and emotional health. It may be challenging to have sex or be intimate. MSK has programs to support your sexual health.
Side effects of prostate cancer treatment can affect your sex life. Our Male Sexual and Reproductive Medicine Program can help you manage:
Urinary continence is being able to stop urine (pee) from leaking from your bladder by accident. Leaking urine is called incontinence (in-KON-tih-nents).
Incontinence can happen right after prostate treatment or later as a long-term side effect. This depends on what type of prostate treatment you had.
There are a few ways to treat incontinence after prostate treatment. Your MSK continued care team will talk with you about which treatment is right for you. When possible, we’ll recommend treatments that are not invasive, such as pelvic floor muscle (Kegel) exercises.
Learn more about managing urinary incontinence after prostate treatment.
MSK’s Wound, Ostomy, and Continence (WOC) care team provides expert care and education. We help manage the most complex wound, ostomy, and continence issues, support recovery after surgery, and improve quality of life. We’re among the few hospitals that offer WOC specialty care at all locations.
Genitourinary medical oncologist Dr. Charles Ryan is on MSK’s team ranked #1 in the nation for urology cancer care by U.S. News & World Report.
Many people prefer to get cancer treatment closer to home. MSK provides excellent cancer care on Long Island and in locations in Westchester County, New Jersey, and New York City. You can meet with your surgeon and have chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and genetic testing.
At MSK, all members of your care team will review your case. They’ll talk with you about which treatments are best for you.
Your care team may offer you a few treatment options. They’re based on your symptoms, any other health issues, and the cancer’s:
We assess all these things and then find the best treatment options for you.
We can treat early-stage low-risk prostate cancers through our Active Surveillance Program.
Urologic surgeon Dr. Behfar Ehdaie leads MSK’s active surveillance program for prostate cancer that grows slowly.
For some people with prostate cancer, surgery is the best option.
Your surgeon will talk with you about your options and help you to get ready. They’ll explain what kind of surgery may be best for you.
Surgeons may be able to use minimally invasive methods that:
Surgery may sometimes be used along with other therapies. Surgery to remove prostate cancer that’s only in the prostate is called a prostatectomy (PROS-tuh-TEK-toh-mee). A radical prostatectomy removes all of the prostate gland and seminal vesicles.
Learn more about prostate cancer surgery.
Many MSK surgeons focus only on prostate cancer. Our prostate surgeons are among the most experienced in the U.S. They’re part of a team ranked #1 in the nation for Urology Cancer Care, 2023 to 2025, by U.S. News & World Report. MSK also ranks among the nation’s top 2 cancer hospitals.
There are a few reasons why we may recommend surgery, including:
Radiation therapy for prostate cancer uses very precise high-energy beams to kill cancer cells. Radiation oncologists are cancer doctors with special training in using radiation to treat cancer.
MSK’s radiation experts do everything possible to limit healthy tissue’s exposure to radiation. They use the most precise methods to deliver powerful doses of radiation right to the tumor.
Sometimes we can use methods that lower the number of treatments you’ll need. This can raise the chances of controlling and curing the cancer.
Radiation therapy aims to control or kill off cancer cells with as few side effects as possible.
We use radiation therapy:
MSK is a leader in improving ways to kill tumors safely with radiation therapy. We use stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) called MSK Precise®. It lowers the number of treatments you’ll need. MSK Precise lets you get back to your daily life faster because of the shorter treatment schedule.
Systemic therapies are drugs that travel through the body to kill cancer cells. Examples are:
You may have a few systemic therapies together. You also may have systemic treatments along with other treatments, such as radiation therapy. For example, hormone therapy is often used before, during, or after radiation therapy for higher-risk prostate cancer.
We’ll make a treatment plan just for you. It’s based on your health, what matters to you, and the type of cancer you have.
Hormone therapy works by slowing or blocking prostate cancer cells from growing. Androgens (an-DRUH-jenz) are a group of sex hormones. Testosterone is a type of androgen. If you have prostate cancer, testosterone can make the cancer cells grow.
Hormone therapy can block testosterone from making cancer cells grow.
Theranostic treatments use therapy and diagnostic tools together. Theranostics uses targeted imaging molecules to locate cancer cells. Then those same molecules deliver radiation right to cancer cells. Theranostics both finds and treats the cancer cells anywhere in your body.
MSK experts were leaders in developing theranostics for prostate cancer, including an imaging method called PSMA PET. We co-led clinical trials that led to a treatment called 177Lu-PSMA-617 (Pluvicto®). This molecule attaches to PSMA with radiation that kills the cancer cell.
You may only have a PSMA PET scan to help us see where the cancer is.
Targeted therapies are cancer treatments that target a tumor’s gene changes (mutations or variants). It’s a personal treatment plan just for the type of cancer you have. These medicines often are given by mouth in pill form, or through an IV into your vein.
Chemotherapy (chemo) is a treatment that uses medicine to stop or slow cancer cells from growing. Chemo puts medicines that target cancer cells into your vein. Most chemo medicines for prostate cancer can go through a standard intravenous (IV) drip. The medicines travel in your bloodstream to kill cancer cells in the body.
There are a few kinds of chemo medicines for prostate cancer. Your care team will talk with you about the best options.
Immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment. It boosts your immune system’s natural ability to fight cancer. Your immune system attacks cancer cells, much the same way it attacks bacteria or viruses.
Immunotherapy drugs release a brake on the immune system so it can start a stronger attack against cancer.
Prostate cancer rarely is treated with immunotherapy. It may help some people with a certain genetic mutation (change). A type of immunotherapy drug called immune checkpoint inhibitors help the body’s immune cells kill cancer cells.
When you learn you have prostate cancer, you’ll probably have many questions for your cancer doctor at your first visit. Talking about treatment options with your doctors can help you feel confident when making decisions about your care.
The health of your body and mind matter to us after treatment, too. MSK's follow-up care and support programs help you and your loved ones cope with cancer.
Your care team may talk with you about joining a prostate cancer clinical trial.
Anyone can join a clinical trial from the very start of treatment, if there’s one that’s right for you.
Researchers follow strict rules to make sure all clinical trials are safe. The MSK research team will answer your questions and help you get ready for the trial. We follow your progress and keep you safe every step of the way.
MSK strongly encourages people from all races, genders, ages, and backgrounds to join clinical trials. It’s very important for research studies to include people from many backgrounds. It’s how our researchers can learn if a new treatment works for everyone, not just one group of people.
Clinical trials are research studies to test new treatments, procedures, or devices to see how well they work. Every cancer treatment given to a person was first tested in a clinical trial.
Clinical trials can help us learn about new prostate cancer drugs, such as:
MSK runs one of the country’s largest cancer clinical trials programs. We have around 30 open clinical trials for prostate cancer. At each MSK site, our researchers may screen and match you to a clinical trial. You may have access to new treatments not yet available at most hospitals.
If you join a clinical trial, you may be able to try new drugs to treat your type of prostate cancer. Our patients may get a new treatment at MSK years before it’s offered at most other places.
Here are some ways enrolling in a clinical trial can help you get the best treatment:
sometimes years before they’re available to everyone.
from your expert care team.
for treatments you get during a clinical trial.
Our experts are always finding new ways to treat prostate cancer and manage side effects. Explore prostate cancer news from MSK.
At MSK, your care is always a team effort. Our care teams combine the skills and experience of many kinds of prostate cancer experts. They work together to give you the best cancer treatment.
Urologic surgeon Dr. Jonathan S. Fainberg (third from left) with a team of MSK prostate cancer care experts.
MSK has Magnet® designation for our nurses’ excellent patient care, strong leadership, and a culture that values constant improvement. Only about 1 out of every 10 hospitals in the country have Magnet status. It’s one of the highest honors a hospital can earn for nursing excellence.
Your care team has special training in how to diagnose and treat prostate cancer. Their goal is to support you during and after treatment for prostate cancer.
We take care of the person, not just the cancer. Our experts are here to help you and your family with the emotional, social, and physical effects of cancer.
Your care team has doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers who are experts in prostate cancer. They include:
Your team meets with a panel of experts who review and talk about your diagnosis. They discuss new ideas and the latest research. This expert panel then works together to choose your treatment plan.
A urologic (yoo-ruh-LAH-jik) surgeon is a doctor with special training in surgery on the genitourinary (jeh-nih-toh-YOOR-ih-nayr-ee) (GU) system. This includes the bladder, kidney, penis, prostate, and testicles.
A genitourinary (GU) medical oncologist is a cancer doctor who specializes in genitourinary (jeh-nih-toh-YOOR-ih-nayr-ee) cancers. This includes bladder, kidney, penis, prostate, and testicular cancers.
A radiation oncologist is a cancer doctor with special training in using radiation therapy (RT) to treat cancer with radiation.
A radiologist is a doctor with special training in using imaging to diagnose and treat disease. Imaging includes X-rays, sonography, ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
A pathologist is a doctor who uses a microscope to make a diagnosis from cell and tissue samples. They analyze the samples to learn more about a health issue, such as cancer.
A social worker is a healthcare provider with special training in helping people cope with the problems in their lives. They support you emotionally by providing counseling and practical help.
An advanced practice provider is a healthcare provider with special training who works alone or with your doctor to care for you. Examples are nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs).
Talk with an MSK Care Advisor. We're here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Clinical social worker Linda Mathew is on a team that supports you and your caregivers during and after treatment for prostate cancer.
Cancer treatment affects your body and emotions. The experience is not the same for everyone. We’ll support you during your treatment.
But you’re also a person with a life beyond cancer. We want to help you get back to it. That’s why we have many programs and services to support you and your loved ones.
You can connect with other people going through cancer treatment in our virtual support groups, led by a social worker.
Or, you may need help with side effects of treatment. We have experts with special training in treating pain.
Your caregivers are a very important part of your care team. They need support, too. We have a Caregivers Clinic to help your loved ones cope with cancer.
Our Integrative Medicine and Wellness Service offers complementary, natural, and holistic treatments. They include acupuncture, meditation, massage therapy, yoga, and exercise.
You may want support to cope with side effects of prostate cancer treatment. These may include pain, fatigue (feeling very tired), nerve problems, nausea, insomnia, and stress.
Without using prescription drugs, integrative therapies can help improve and control side effects of cancer treatment.
Integrative medicine services are available in New York City, New Jersey, Westchester, and on Long Island.
Pain management is an important part of cancer care. MSK was the first cancer center in the country to have a service just for treating pain in people with cancer.
Our pain experts will help relieve or manage pain after surgery. They can help while you’re still in the hospital, and after you’re home.
We have experts who manage the symptoms and side effects of cancer treatment, such as nausea during chemotherapy.
We offer counseling and support to help you manage anxiety, depression, anger, or loneliness. There are individual and group counseling sessions, both in person and through telemedicine visits. Counseling is open to you and your family, separately or together.
We also run support groups and programs if you want to talk with other people going through a similar experience. Our social workers can offer information about how to talk about your diagnosis with family members, work colleagues, and friends.
Cancer treatment can affect your digestion (how your body breaks down the food you eat). It can change your taste, how you eat, and how hungry you are.
Our clinical dietitian nutritionists can help with:
Cancer affects your sex life in both physical and emotional ways. It’s normal to think about how cancer treatment may affect your sex life.
Our Male Sexual & Reproductive Medicine Program can help. They have experts in the physical symptoms and emotional challenges that may affect your sex life.
We can talk with you about physical changes, including erectile dysfunction (ED), and low testosterone levels, that affect intimacy.
MSK is a place where people of all genders and sexual orientations feel welcome and treated with respect. Our LGBTQI+ Cancer Care Program gives you the support you need during cancer care. It’s for LGBTQI+ people getting screened or treated at MSK, or in our survivorship program.
We believe cancer care should be as convenient as possible. We have prostate cancer treatment locations in New York City, Westchester, on Long Island, and in New Jersey.
At our locations, you can meet with your care team and get your prostate cancer treatment. You may be able to have chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or join a clinical trial.
MSK brings its expert care closer to you so you can get back home to what matters most.
We’ll guide you about where you can go for check-ups, procedures, or treatments, based on your diagnosis and treatments.
