Some statistics suggests one in three patients with slow-growing
prostate tumors are not receiving the best treatment. By consequence
experts warn they could be risking their sex lives and more. That is
certainly true and the figures may be higher. But the truth is if you
have been newly diagnosed with prostate cancer, there isn't any very
good approach to decide which is the best treatment for you.
Prostate cancer patients should know there are several treatments they
can opt for. The problem is they must be helped to make informed
options. The good thing is condition can take many years to develop, so
men aren't in situation to make quick decisions regarding which
treatment to have.
Men with prostate cancer condition have a range of options available to
them, including "watchful waiting" where doctors monitor and give no
active treatment. Watchful waiting followed by hormone therapy, when
and if it is needed, is the proper option for many men past 70. Since
the great bulk of cases are in such men, overtreatment of such men
could lead to a lot of unnecessary side effects. Even strong proponents
of aggressive treatment like Walsh say that men who are not expected to
live much longer than ten years should not be treated aggressively.
But other options, such as surgery or radiotherapy, may cause side
effects. A well-known professor, head of urology at St George's
Hospital, London, warned there are many uninformed people, so men often
make inappropriate choices. A good start is to do untreated prostate
cancer and hormone therapy. The trick would be to avoid both of those
under a regime of watchful waiting. Unfortunately, nobody knows how to
put all things together in any individual case.
