The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located just below the bladder in men. Prostate cancer occurs when the cells in the prostate gland mutate and grow abnormally at an uncontrolled rate. There are four different stages of this cancer, with stage IV being the most advanced stage.
“I had never experienced something... something so terrible. I rushed to the toilet every hour or so. I thought maybe it’s just because I’m growing old, and how would I tell my family what I’m going through?
That's when I saw Friends’ Azadi Mubarak ad on TV. Then it clicked! I wasn’t the only one dealing with urine leakage, so many others were too. And they made adult diapers for this problem. I started using them and went to my doctor to check what was happening in my body. I was diagnosed with stage 1 prostate cancer. I’m happy and well now, the cancer is gone too with the treatment.”
Usually, prostate cancer cells are less aggressive and slow-growing than cells found in other cancers. In 90% of the cases, the cancer is identified while it is still within the prostate, which means, the chances of it developing to stage IV are slim.
Overview of Stage 4 Prostate Cancer
If your prostate cancer is diagnosed at stage 4, it has most likely already started growing outside the prostate and has spread to distant parts of the body.
When prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body, doctors say the cancer has ‘metastasized’. Stage 4 prostate cancer is also called ‘metastatic prostate cancer’. By stage 4, the prostate cancer has most likely to spread to your:
-
bones
-
brain
-
liver
-
lungs
-
lymph nodes
Stage 4 Prostate Cancer Symptoms
Since the prostate is very close to the bladder (hollow organ that stores the urine) and urethra (hollow tube that drains the urine from the bladder), the symptoms of prostate cancer are related to the urination process:
-
Weak urine flow
-
Strong and sudden urge to urinate
-
Frequent urination
-
Difficulty starting urination
-
Pain or burning sensation when urinating
-
Blood in urine or semen
Other symptoms of stage 4 prostate cancer depend on how far the cancer has spread and how big the tumors are. These include:
-
Fatigue and weakness
-
Rapid weight loss
-
Bone pain and fractures (if cancer has spread to the bones)
-
Abdominal swelling and Jaundice (if cancer has spread to the liver)
-
Shortness of breath and chest pain (if cancer has spread to the lungs)
-
Headaches, dizziness, and seizures (if cancer has spread to the brain)
Stage 4 Prostate Cancer Risk Factors
According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF, America), age is the biggest risk factor of prostate cancer. PCF has estimated that almost 60% of all prostate cancer diagnosis are from men older than 65 years of age.
Other additional risk factors of prostate cancer include:
-
Family history of prostate cancer.
-
A history of smoking.
-
Certain groups and races, and men who carry certain inherited mutations such as HOXB13, BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Stage 4 Prostate Cancer Treatments
While stage 4 prostate cancer isn’t curable, it can be treated. Treatment for stage 4 prostate cancer often focuses on slowing or stopping the further growth of cancer cells. Most men would need a combination of treatments over time. These treatments can also ease your symptoms and help you live a long and active life.
The best treatments for stage 4 prostate cancer are:
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy suppresses the production of male sex hormones such as testosterone that help prostate cancer cells grow. Some drugs stop the production of testosterone, while others work to prevent testosterone from stimulating cancer cell growth. There is even a surgical procedure to remove the testicles, which is where testosterone is produced.
Potential side effects of hormone therapy include injection site reactions, anemia, and low sex drive.
Radiation
Radiation uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. Doctors can give you radiation therapy externally as well as internally.
In external radiation, beams of radiation focus on your prostate from a machine outside your body. The treatment just takes a few minutes and can ease symptoms when prostate cancer has spread to the bones. Even though it doesn’t hurt, fatigue is a common side effect.
In internal radiation, your doctor will insert small radioactive pallets, about the size of a rice grain, into your prostate. The pallets will emit a permanent low dose of radiation or temporary high dose of radiation. Side effects of internal radiation include low sex drive, urinary-related problems, and bowel problems.
Chemotherapy
In chemotherapy, anti-cancer drugs kill cancer cells throughout your body. You might get chemo if hormone therapy isn’t working for you. Side effects of chemo include nausea, loss of appetite, hair loss and weight loss.
Surgery
While surgery might seem like a good option for removing tumors, your doctor is less likely to recommend it to you if you have stage 4 prostate cancer and the cancer has spread to multiple parts.
But if your cancer hasn’t spread much beyond the prostate gland, your doctor might surgically remove the entire organ, and some tissue around it. You might also get radiation therapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that were left behind.
Be sure to tell your doctor if you are facing any side effects from the treatments. In addition to treating cancer, your doctor can also give you treatments for the symptoms of prostate cancer like pain, incontinence and fatigue.
And as we mentioned before, with treatment you can live for many years even with stage 4 prostate cancer. Learning about your cancer is extremely important. Be aware of some common prostate cancer emergencies so you can always be prepared. Also educate your loved ones about these emergencies so they can always step in. See you in another blog!
Frequently Asked Questions about Stage 4 Prostate Cancer
-
What are the final symptoms of stage 4 prostate cancer?
Some symptoms of stage 4 prostate cancer depending on how far the cancer has spread are:
-
Fatigue and weakness
-
Rapid weight loss
-
Bone pain and fractures (if cancer has spread to the bones)
-
Abdominal swelling and Jaundice (if cancer has spread to the liver)
-
Shortness of breath and chest pain (if cancer has spread to the lungs)
-
Headaches, dizziness, and seizures (if cancer has spread to the brain)
-
-
What are the signs that prostate cancer has spread?
Some of the signs that prostate cancer has spread outside the prostate gland are:
-
Fatigue and weakness
-
Rapid weight loss
-
Bone pain and fractures (if cancer has spread to the bones)
-
Abdominal swelling and Jaundice (if cancer has spread to the liver)
-
Shortness of breath and chest pain (if cancer has spread to the lungs)
-
Headaches, dizziness, and seizures (if cancer has spread to the brain)
-
-
Is end-stage prostate cancer painful?
End stage prostate cancer can cause pain in the areas the cancer has spread to. But treatments can effectively ease the symptoms and reduce or relieve the pain.
-
What is the survival rate of stage 4 prostate?
Five-year stage 4 prostate cancer survival rate is 28%.
-
Is Stage 4 prostate curable?
Stage 4 prostate cancer is not curable but is treatable. Stage 4 prostate cancer treatment can not only prevent further growth of cancer, but also ease the symptoms and help you live a long and active life.
