Prostate cancer can be:

• Localised – it only affects the prostate.
• Locally advanced – it has spread beyond the prostate to some surrounding areas, but not to other organs.
• Advanced – it has spread to nearby organs such as the bladder and often to distant sites such as the bones or lymph system.

Localised prostate cancer is generally treated by:

• ‘watchful waiting’ – the state of the cancer is actively monitored and treatments are used when and if they are necessary: remember that prostate cancer can be very
  slow growing.
• surgery – to remove the prostate.
• external beam radiotherapy – radiation is directed at the prostate to kill the cancerous cells.
• bracytherapy – another form of radiotherapy where radioactive 'seeds' are implanted directly into the prostate delivering a concentrated dose of radiation to kill cancerous cells.

Locally advanced or advanced prostate cancer can be treated by hormone therapy either on its own or in conjunction with another treatment. Hormone therapy reduces the amount of testosterone in the body to slow down or stop the growth of the cancer cells.