In many cases of men who are faced with a diagnosis of prostate cancer, the disease is caught early and patients are able to choose, together with their physician, their course of treatment. Depending on the patient’s age and overall health, as well as tumor’s stage, treatment options for patients with prostate cancer include watchful waiting or active surveillance, surgery, radiation therapy, cryotherapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, vaccine treatment, and/or bone-directed treatment.
The satisfaction of men with their treatment for prostate cancer has recently been questioned during the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand’s annual scientific meeting on the Gold Coast. The problematic was raised by the professor and chairman of the department of urology at the University of Texas, Claus Roehrborn, who believes that studies currently made on the results of prostate cancer treatment underestimate the level of regret, including distressing effects.
Therefore, it is important for men to understand the implications of each option and consider a series of factors before choosing a course of treatment. The American Cancer Society has set a list of parameters to guide a man’s decision. It’s recommended that men ask themselves certain questions before making any decision. These include:
1. If the patient would feel that it was important to act immediately against the cancer, even with all the possible side effects at stake, or would feel more comfortable with watchful waiting even with the anxiety related to the future?
Read more on how active surveillance of lower risk prostate cancers can be a safe choice.