Key takeaways
- Palliative care, which focuses on relieving symptoms and improving quality of life, can be beneficial at any stage of advanced prostate cancer and can be used alongside curative treatments.
- Early integration of palliative care has been shown to improve emotional well-being, overall quality of life, and potentially extend survival for individuals with advanced prostate cancer.
- Unlike hospice care, which is reserved for the end-of-life stage when curative treatments are no longer pursued, palliative care can actively support patients throughout their cancer journey, even while they are receiving treatment.
Advanced prostate cancer refers to cancer that has spread beyond the prostate and surrounding tissues to more distant parts of the body. It may involve many different types of treatments, including:
- hormone blockade therapy
- chemotherapy
- immunotherapy
- targeted therapy
- radiation therapy
These types of therapies are used to kill cancer cells or slow their growth. Other types of care will support your quality of life, including addressing physical and emotional impacts of the prostate cancer on your life. This is known as palliative care.
In this article, we answer some of your most frequently asked questions about palliative care for advanced prostate cancer, including what it looks like and when it’s used.
Palliative care refers to a healthcare field that is used to relieve symptoms or complications caused by an illness. It can also be used to help manage or prevent side effects caused by other therapies used to treat the condition. While not every cancer center has a palliative care specialist, elements of this form of care can be provided by non-specialists.
Advanced prostate cancer can cause many different types of symptoms depending on the size of the tumor and where it has spread throughout the body. Additional symptoms can also develop as a result of prostate cancer treatment and the stress of receiving a cancer diagnosis.
Common symptoms that people with advanced prostate cancer may experience include:
- urinary problems, such as incontinence or blood in the urine
- fatigue or weakness
- weight loss, nausea, or loss of appetite
- bone pain
- erectile dysfunction
- anxiety or depression
- sleep problems
Many different types of therapy can be used to manage these symptoms, including both medical and lifestyle interventions. Examples include:
- medications
- dietary changes
- exercise plans
- mental health support
Surgery and radiation therapy can also be used as palliative care in some cases. These types of treatments are considered palliative when the goal is not to stop the progression of the cancer, but to relieve symptoms.
Palliative care may be considered at any point after prostate cancer is diagnosed, with experts recommending earlier integration rather than waiting until later stages of the disease.
Research suggests that early use of palliative care in cancer treatment can have a variety of benefits, including:
- reduced severity of symptoms
- improved quality of life
- lower healthcare costs
- longer survival
- less aggressive end-of-life care
Palliative care is still underutilized in advanced prostate cancer, though. According to one study that looked at records for more than 64,000 adults with metastatic prostate cancer, only 15.8% received palliative care services.
One reason palliative care may not be used frequently, despite the potential benefits, is that many people confuse it as end-of-life care. This may cause them to avoid palliative care entirely or delay this type of treatment until later in the course of their disease.
Earlier use of palliative care, however, allows people with advanced prostate cancer to take advantage of its benefits sooner. The care could potentially improve treatment satisfaction and overall wellbeing during the course of treatment.
The goals of palliative care and hospice care are similar—that is, providing comfort and relief from a serious illness. Yet, they are not the same thing.
Palliative care can be offered at the same time as treatment for advanced prostate cancer. It can be used as part of an active treatment plan that seeks to manage and control the disease.
Hospice care, on the other hand, is used at the end of life or during the last stages of an incurable illness, when no other active treatment is feasible or when a person decides to stop treatment. It is used to provide comfort and ease symptoms during the end-of-life transition.
Hospice care is a specific type of palliative care and may involve a variety of palliative care professionals. But not all palliative care specialists focus on hospice care.
The cancer team can help with many aspects of palliative care and can help prescribe certain treatments to help manage common symptoms or treatment side effects.
Palliative care specialists can also be engaged as members of the care team to help coordinate this type of treatment and connect you with other specialists who can help, including:
- social workers
- dietitians
- music therapists
- spiritual advisors
Many oncology clinics have palliative care specialists trained in navigating specific concerns related to cancer treatment, including insurance requirements and changing needs over the course of care.
Palliative care can be provided alongside treatment to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. It does not require a person to stop standard treatments such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or other medications.
In fact, palliative care may help to improve the effectiveness of these therapies by reducing side effects and helping make them more tolerable.
This is supported by research that has found that people with cancer who receive palliative care alongside active cancer treatment have lower rates of emotional distress, improved quality of life, and longer survival compared to those who don’t receive palliative care.
Many oncology clinics have in-house palliative care services or connections with services. If you have questions about palliative care, you can ask your healthcare team to refer you to this department.
Requesting palliative care does not mean you are giving up. You can still work with your oncology care team to treat the cancer. Palliative care specialists provide extra support to make sure that you are living your best life possible during this time.
If you need additional support finding palliative care specialists, resources are available from the
Nurse specialists or patient navigators at your clinic may be able to help you check insurance requirements to ensure palliative care services are covered by your plan.
Palliative care can help provide relief from symptoms and side effects of advanced prostate cancer and treatment and is an important part of any care plan.
If your healthcare team has not already discussed palliative care with you, it is important to advocate for your needs. Early support to help manage the effects of cancer and treatment can provide a number of benefits that may improve outcomes and your overall wellbeing.