prostate gland.Stage IIICancer cells have spread outside the covering (capsule) of the prostate to tissues surrounding it. The seminal vesicles may also have cancer in them.Stage IVCancer cells have spread to lymph nodes near or far from the prostate, or to other organs and tissues, such as the liver or lungs.Prostate staging can also be described using T (tumor size), N (extent of spread to lymph nodes), and M (extent of spread to other parts of the body).Three kinds of treatments for prostate cancer that are commonly used are Surgery (taking out the cancer), radiation therapy (using high dose x-rays or other high energy rays to kill cancer cells), and hormone therapy (using hormones to stop cancer cells from growing). Surgery is the most common of the three treatments.The cancer may be removed by either radical prostatectomy, transurethral resection, or cryosurgery (removing the cancer by freezing it. Radical prostatectomy removes the prostate and some the tissues that surround it. This surgery may be done by cutting into the space between the scrotum and the anus in an operation called a perneal prostatectomy, or by cutting into the lower abdomen in an operation called a retropubic prostatectomy. Radical prostatectomy is done only if the cancer has not spread outside the prostate. Often, a surgery to remove the lymph nodes in the pelvis, called pelvic lymph node dissection, is done to make sure the cancer has not spread outside the prostate. If it is found out that the lymph nodes do have cancer, a prostatectomy will most likely not be performed. Transurethral resection cuts the cancer from the prostate using a tool with a small wire loop on the end that is put into the prostate through the urethra. This operation is sometimes done to relieve symptoms caused by the tumor before other treatment, or in men who cannot have a radical prostatectomy because of age or other illnesses.Radiation therapy uses high x-rays to kill cancer cells ...
