The word cancer can bring a lot of worries and fear to individuals. There can be many types of cancer, and one such type is prostate cancer, which is a common type of carcinoma in men.
Fortunately, many prostate cancer therapies and treatment plans are available nowadays. However, treating prostate cancer can be financially burdensome, so having a cancer health insurance plan is a suitable option.
These insurance plans come with cashless health insurance benefits, where policyholders can avail of cashless service in any hospital. In this blog, we will learn about prostate cancer treatment and how cancer insurance plans can help.
Table of Contents
What is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer is a common type of carcinoma that starts in the prostate gland of men. The cancer can spread to the bones, lymph nodes and other surrounding areas of the gland. The critical disease has five stages, and depending on the stage of cancer, the treatment plan also varies.
The doctor considers various aspects while deciding the prostate cancer treatment plan, such as cancer severity, life expectancy, patient values, possible side effects, and more.
The standard treatment for prostate cancer includes watchful waiting or active surveillance. In this stage, doctors suggest patients wait to know if the tumour is spreading or growing before the treatment options. During this period, doctors will closely watch the tumour and its symptoms.
What are Available Prostate Cancer Treatment Options?
There are a range of treatment options available for treating prostate cancer. Some of the standard prostate cancer treatment options are mentioned below:
Surgery: When prostate cancer is at an early stage, surgery is considered one of the best treatment options. Surgery involves removing the affected prostate gland and surrounding lymph nodes.
However, there are different types of surgery options available, such as radical prostatectomy, transurethral prostate surgery, laparoscopic prostatectomy, and more.
The type of surgery depends on the stage of prostate cancer and the patient’s overall well-being. However, before considering the surgery, it is suitable to discuss the possible side effects with the health practitioner.
Radiation Therapy: Another prostate cancer treatment includes radiation therapy. It involves using high-energy rays to destroy cancerous cells in the body. A specialised radiation oncologist can administer radiation therapy to the cancer patient.
This prostate cancer therapy regimen consists of a specific number of treatments given over a specified period of time. Different types of radiation therapy are available, such as Brachytherapy, external beam radiation therapy, and more.
Hormone Therapy: Another standard prostate cancer therapy includes hormone therapy. The primary fuel for the growth of prostate cancer is testosterone. In hormone therapy, lowering the level of this hormone, can cause the slow growth of cancer. This therapy is also known as androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).
Generally, under this therapy, two standard procedures are used, which are surgically removing the testicles, which is classified as surgical castration or shutting down the functions of the testicles, which is classified as medical castration.
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is the prevalent cancer treatment option in which drugs are used to destroy the cancerous cells in the body. The drug is used to block the cancer cells’ growth, dividing and creating more cancerous cells.
There is a standard set of drugs used to treat prostate cancer. A therapy regimen generally includes a specific set of chemotherapy given to patients over a specified period.
Targeted Therapy: Another prostate cancer treatment plan includes targeted therapy, in which cancer-specific genes, tissue, proteins, etc., are targeted, which causes the growth of cancerous cells in the body.
Under this treatment plan, the growth and spread of cancerous cells are blocked, restricting damage to healthy cells in the body. Different types of targeted therapy are available, such as Olaparib, Rucaparib, and more.
Immunotherapy: It is the prostate cancer therapy in which the body’s immune system improves or strengthens to fight cancer. Our body’s immune system can kill the cells that cause harm to the body. This therapy utilises the same by hacking the immune system and retraining the cells to malfunction the harmful cancerous cells.
Choosing a Prostate Cancer Treatment Option
The treatment plan for prostate cancer can be prolonged and expensive. The treatment can drain the patient’s lifelong savings in just a few months. That being said, having a health insurance plan with critical illness coverage is a suitable option.
The health insurance policy saves the financial implications of individuals arising out of medical emergencies. It helps in providing top notch care to patients in reputed hospitals.
Since the cancer disease is considered critical with prolonged treatment, there are various cancer insurance plans also available. This plan is specifically designed to cover various types of cancers as per the policy conditions.
Tata AIG is a well-known insurance provider that offers medical insurance policies with critical illness coverage for diseases like cancer. With our cashless health insurance, policyholders can claim cashless benefits in any hospital in their area.
Conclusion
Prostate cancer is treatable. There are various treatment options available for prostate cancer. However, the treatment plan is decided by the doctor by considering the severity of the cancer, the patient’s age and other things.