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.
Valerian D is a freelance writer interested in items such as prostate cancer and treatment options |
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