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The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimated that about 218,890 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in the United States during 2007.
Traditionally, prostate cancer treatments—like the disease itself—have caused two serious problems for many men: impotence and incontinence. Now, however, therapies are more often able to spare patients these dreaded side effects. And better screening
enables many cancers to be spotted earlier, when treatment is more effective.
Which therapy is right for you? There are no hard-and-fast
rules, but recommendations will take into account your age and
general health and the cancer’s stage (degree of advance) and grade (speed of growth). If you’re relatively young—say, 50—and have organ-confined disease, it may be appropriate to have surgery to remove the prostate. But if you’re 70 or older or don’t want major surgery, you may be more likely to seek radiation treatment. For those over 70 who have other serious medical conditions and a slow-growing cancer, watchful waiting may be the right approach.
Upon diagnosis with prostate cancer, a man has the following primary treatment options:
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