[Treatable and untreatable forms of recurrent prostate cancer]

The incidence of prostate cancer in the Japanese population has increased because of the increase in life expectancy, consumption of westernized diets, and improvements in prostate cancer screening by using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA)test. Further, in the past 10 years, there have been great advancements in the treatment options available for prostate cancer. Radical treatment methods, such as robot-assisted surgery, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and particle beam radiation therapy, may have anticancer effects and may improve the quality of life by preserving micturition ability and sexual function. Radiotherapy and endocrine therapy have been shown to prevent postoperative recurrence. Endocrine therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in preventing recurrence after radiotherapy. Moreover, endocrine therapy can be administered to patients at all stages of prostate cancer and is often used as the initial treatment for advanced prostate cancer, particularly in patients with metastasis. However, recurrence(relapse)after endocrine therapy is associated with a poor prognosis. In this study, we describe all the available treatment options for prostate cancer and the treatable and untreatable forms of recurrent prostate cancer.