There are many different factors that affect the possibility of surgery for advanced prostate cancer because it may have spread to other parts of the body.
Surgery is a common choice to try to cure prostate cancer if it is not thought to have spread outside the prostate gland.
If prostate cancer has spread (metastasized) to other organs, such as the lungs or the liver, the cancer is not likely to be curable by surgery.
Palliative surgery may be done if imaging tests show that the cancer is too widespread to be removed completely. This surgery is done to reduce tumor size to relieve symptoms. The goal is not to try to cure the cancer.
If the cancer has spread to only one organ such as the liver or lung (and nowhere else), surgery may be used to remove it. Depending on the extent of the cancer, this might help the patient live longer, or it could even cure the cancer. Deciding if surgery is an option to remove areas of cancer spread depends on their size, number, and location of tumors.
Whether or not surgery can be performed, most often other treatment will also be utilized such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy or precision medicine, as well as others. A multidisciplinary treatment team is vital for every cancer patient!