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Prostate Cancer Treatment
May 1, 2007
Prostate cancer patients: ‘Do
research to ensure you make the right decisions,’ says
new quarterly bulletin from Harvard Medical School
BOSTON — For many men with
early-stage prostate cancer, sorting out the treatment
options can be overwhelming. Yet they feel pressured
to choose a course of therapy quickly. The first
issue of a new quarterly bulletin about prostate
disease published by Harvard Medical School says
that the most important thing to do is to take your
time and make sure you explore all treatment choices
thoroughly.
Prostate Cancer Treatment Options
The inaugural issue of Perspectives on Prostate
Disease explains that treatment decisions can
be complicated for a number of reasons. First, there’s
no one-size-fits-all treatment for early-stage prostate
cancer. Even the experts do not agree about which
men with such cancers should be treated, which therapy
is best — or whether, for some tumors, treatment
is even necessary. Indeed, doctors are now advising
many patients to undertake a program of “active
surveillance” rather than pursue aggressive
treatment. The choice can become even more difficult
when a man takes into account the side effects of
treatment, which can be devastating to his quality
of life.
Marc B. Garnick, M.D., Harvard oncologist and editor-in-chief
of Perspectives,says, “For
all these reasons, I encourage patients to ask detailed
questions and perform due diligence to ensure that
they are making the right decisions about their medical
care. Due diligence begins with having the confidence
to question your physician about treatment recommendations — after
all, you are the person who has to live with the results.”
Garnick recommends men also consider these questions:
- Will you be able to deal with impotence if it occurs?
What about incontinence?
- How will the possible side effects of treatment
affect your relationship with your partner—and
your sense of self?
It’s vital to think about these issues carefully:
Studies show that 30% to 70% of men treated with surgery
or radiation therapy experience impotence, and at least
1% to 2% experience urinary
incontinence—and some experts think the true
numbers are much higher. According to Garnick, truly
informed patients are much better able to deal with
adverse consequences than patients who don’t
have the all the facts, or who rush into making a decision.
Also covered in the 48-page first issue of this quarterly
bulletin:
- When to consider active surveillance
- A patient’s story: Why one man opted for
lifestyle changes instead of treatment
- A patient’s story: Why one man chose robotic-assisted
laparoscopic prostatectomy
- Medication for benign prostatic hyperplasia: When
to consider a change
- Harvard experts discuss drug treatments for benign
prostatic hyperplasia
- A guide to finding the studies cited in the newsletter,
so you can evaluate the evidence for yourself.
New Prostate Cancer Treatments
In each issue of Perspectives on Prostate Disease,
you’ll find:
- Roundtable discussions: Join a
group of Harvard physicians as they debate key issues
in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate disease.
- Patient interviews: Benefit from
the shared experiences of men who have confronted
prostate disease.
- Prostate disease news and research findings: Be
among the first to know about breakthroughs you won’t
hear about on the news.
 Related
Information
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About Harvard Health Publications
Harvard Health
Publications publishes five monthly newsletters—Harvard
Health Letter, Harvard
Women's Health Watch, Harvard
Men's Health Watch, Harvard
Mental Health Letter, and Harvard
Heart Letter—as well as more than 50 special health
reports and books drawing on the expertise of the 8,000
faculty physicians at Harvard Medical School and its
world-famous affiliated hospitals. For more information
about Harvard Medical School publications, please visit
our Web site, www.health.harvard.edu.
Source: Harvard
Health Publications
Contact: hhpmedia@hms.harvard.edu
Web site: http://www.health.harvard.edu |
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Four
quarterly issues
