How do medications treat stage 2 prostate cancer?

Medications such as hormonal therapy and chemotherapy are used to treat the symptoms of stage 2 prostate cancer. This treatment is called "palliative," meaning it is meant to ease the symptoms of the disease rather the get rid of it entirely. Because stage 2 prostate cancer is still contained within the prostate and has not spread to other parts of the body, treatment with medication at this stage is unusual; surgery to remove the diseased tissue is a much more common treatment option at stage 2.