Aim of the stage 4 prostate cancer treatment is to extend the life expectancy and improve the quality of patient’s life. There are four schemes of treatment for prostate cancer in Germany that have proven their efficiency: hormone therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted PSMA therapy with Lutetium-177. Germany offers all approved international schemes in combination with its own developments for 4th stage prostate cancer therapy.
Table of Contents
Hormone therapy – decreasing level of androgens
Male hormones stimulate prostate growth. Unfortunately, they have the same influence on the prostate cancer cells. Thus, suppressing testosterone synthesis prevents a tumor from further growth and spreading.
Main androgen-deprivation techniques include:
- Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues
- Enzalutamide
- Antiandrogens that block the action of testosterone
- Surgical castration (removing of testicles)
Chemotherapy – suppressing atypical sells
Patients with metastatic prostate cancer may demonstrate poor response to the hormone therapy, in such cases oncologists may give preference to chemotherapy.
The first option is administration of docetaxel. Docetaxel prevents atypical cells from growing and dividing. It has been the standard scheme of chemotherapeutic treatment in Germany since 2004.
If the disease is progressing against the background of docetaxel receiving, a specialist considers administration of cabazitaxel. This is a newer medication that has been used as the second line therapy since 2011.
Immunotherapy – retraining patient’s immunity
New cancer treatments for prolonging the survival in patients with resistant prostate tumors stage 4 include vaccines application. Immune cancer treatment in Germany includes administration of sipuleucel-T.
Sipuleucel-T is made of the patient’s own immune cells (leukocytes). Leukocytes undergo genetic modification and become capable of fighting cancer.
During the therapy patient needs to visit the clinic three times as the vaccine is given in three intravenous infusions fortnightly. The medication is remarkably safe and causes few side effects. Each dose of sipuleucel-T is manufactured for the patient individually.
Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy – looking for the smallest metastases
PSMA therapy with Lutetium-177 is the targeted systemic radionuclide therapy. The technique is efficient in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Being connected with a specific carrier (molecule PSMA-617), therapeutic radionuclide Lutetium-177 fixates on the superficial PSA-receptor of the cancer cells.
PSMA therapy with Lutetium-177 is safe and well tolerated, as this irradiation type does not damage the nearby healthy tissues.
Treatment of the advanced cancer abroad
For patients without strong international experience, receiving treatment abroad will be easier and safer with services of Booking Health. Booking Health is the international medical tourism provider, official partner of German hospitals.
Services of Booking Health include assistance in making the informed choice between the best prostate cancer clinics in Germany, making urgent appointment and facilitating visa issuing. While medical experts concentrate on health aspects of the program, travel experts take care about booking tickets and accommodation, transfer, services of interpreter and medical reports translation.
In addition, the cost of diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation will be fair and there will be no extra charges for foreigners.