The news is good about prostate cancer. Although it is the third most often diagnosed cancer in men in the United States, following skin and lung cancers, 98 percent of sufferers are still alive five years after diagnosis. This is a vast improvement over the 64 percent rate of the late 1980s. Although the rate drops to 91 percent ten years after diagnosis this is still an impressive survival rate considering that the group includes men who were first diagnosed with advanced cancer and many older men of whom an appreciable number have other health issues.
The news can be very good indeed; for example, 99 percent of men with Gleason 6 organ confined prostate cancer have not had any relapse (biochemical failure) a decade after surgical treatment. Further, it is very unlikely that these men will experience a recurrence after that time.
Keeping the aforementioned "good news" uppermost in mind. As it has been observed, a man is far more likely to die WITH prostate cancer than OF it. Prostate cancer tends to be an indolent disease and many men may live to a ripe old age to die of something else even if left untreated. Although treatment proffers survival advantages to many, such as men diagnosed at a younger age and those with aggressive disease, some men may do well with "watchful waiting", frequently measuring their PSA readings to monitor whether their cancer remains at a stable level. The clearest case for watchful waiting seems to be for elderly men with low level disease with a less than 10 year life expectancy.
Concerns about masculinity - the prostate is an integral part of a man's reproductive system; once removed or treated by radiation and most other therapies a man will not be able to father children. Many men, particularly those who have excellent sexual functioning may retain most of their sexual performance ability after treatment; others may not do as well. Problems may range from experiencing complete impotence to some impairment in the ability to have erections.
Concern about incontinence - most prostate cancer treatments have the potential to compromise a man's ability to control his urinary voiding function. The experience between different men and between different physicians is quite variable. Some physicians can demonstrate impressive continence rates for their patients; others less so. And some men will experience lingering problems despite receiving excellent treatment.
Concern about recovery - prostate treatment may result in serious effects on the body. The recovery process varies by type of treatment, the physician who performs it and of course by the man's individual physiological resiliency. Some types of treatments are relatively noninvasive, but may exhibit lingering or even increasing side effects as time passes while others have a greater initial effect on function which can markedly improve over time.
Privacy issues - some men are very open with family, friends and coworkers about their diagnosis while others react with varying degrees of isolation.
Make a treatment decision that you are comfortable with - By the time most men finish doing their "homework" a treatment decision (or even the decision to defer treatment) will have assumed a certain shape in their mind. It will be the result of time spent speaking with their support crew of family and friends, hearing or reading about prostate cancer survivors' experiences, reading the information available in print and on the internet, speaking to physicians about the best course of action to take and doing a fair amount of thinking. By the time most men move forward with their decision much of their initial fear and uncertainty has vanished and the road ahead assumed at least some sort of reassuring outline Over a longer span of time subsequent to treatment most men express a fairly high degree of satisfaction with the treatment decisions they made.
The news can be very good indeed; for example, 99 percent of men with Gleason 6 organ confined prostate cancer have not had any relapse (biochemical failure) a decade after surgical treatment. Further, it is very unlikely that these men will experience a recurrence after that time.
Keeping the aforementioned "good news" uppermost in mind. As it has been observed, a man is far more likely to die WITH prostate cancer than OF it. Prostate cancer tends to be an indolent disease and many men may live to a ripe old age to die of something else even if left untreated. Although treatment proffers survival advantages to many, such as men diagnosed at a younger age and those with aggressive disease, some men may do well with "watchful waiting", frequently measuring their PSA readings to monitor whether their cancer remains at a stable level. The clearest case for watchful waiting seems to be for elderly men with low level disease with a less than 10 year life expectancy.
Concerns about masculinity - the prostate is an integral part of a man's reproductive system; once removed or treated by radiation and most other therapies a man will not be able to father children. Many men, particularly those who have excellent sexual functioning may retain most of their sexual performance ability after treatment; others may not do as well. Problems may range from experiencing complete impotence to some impairment in the ability to have erections.
Concern about incontinence - most prostate cancer treatments have the potential to compromise a man's ability to control his urinary voiding function. The experience between different men and between different physicians is quite variable. Some physicians can demonstrate impressive continence rates for their patients; others less so. And some men will experience lingering problems despite receiving excellent treatment.
Concern about recovery - prostate treatment may result in serious effects on the body. The recovery process varies by type of treatment, the physician who performs it and of course by the man's individual physiological resiliency. Some types of treatments are relatively noninvasive, but may exhibit lingering or even increasing side effects as time passes while others have a greater initial effect on function which can markedly improve over time.
Privacy issues - some men are very open with family, friends and coworkers about their diagnosis while others react with varying degrees of isolation.
Make a treatment decision that you are comfortable with - By the time most men finish doing their "homework" a treatment decision (or even the decision to defer treatment) will have assumed a certain shape in their mind. It will be the result of time spent speaking with their support crew of family and friends, hearing or reading about prostate cancer survivors' experiences, reading the information available in print and on the internet, speaking to physicians about the best course of action to take and doing a fair amount of thinking. By the time most men move forward with their decision much of their initial fear and uncertainty has vanished and the road ahead assumed at least some sort of reassuring outline Over a longer span of time subsequent to treatment most men express a fairly high degree of satisfaction with the treatment decisions they made.
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