title: Treatment of advanced cancer of the prostate.
abstract: Advanced cancer of the prostate may be either locally advanced or distant. Staging methods available to define the extent of the disease are relatively imprecise; non-invasive methods rely on tumour markers and radioisotopes; invasive methods range from fine needle aspiration to lymph node dissection. Exact definitions of criteria of response to treatment are essential to evaluate different forms of treatment. Primary treatment of metastatic disease is based on hormone manipulation. Those who either never respond or relapse after primary treatment may show some response to further hormone therapy but usually require the combination of radiotherapy and analgesia to control their symptoms. The response rates to chemotherapy are disappointing.
mesh_terms: D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002369:Castration; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004967:Estrogens / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D006728:Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007016:Hypophysectomy; D008297:Male; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy; D011372:Progestins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists; D004967:Estrogens; D006728:Hormones; D011372:Progestins; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone