I want to postpone my treatment… Is that wise? The answer to this question varies, depending on a bunch of factors: your particular form of prostate cancer, your age and general health.
First, what you need to know
If you have cancer in your prostate, it didn’t just spring up like a mushroom. It has been there for years, maybe even a decade, growing very slowly, taking a long time just to get big enough to be discovered. If your cancer was diagnosed through regular screening, it’s good news and a reason to not panic. Just a couple of decades ago, before the PSA test and regular screening became widespread, most men didn’t know they had prostate cancer until it was often too late.
Second, what you need to do
You need to figure out just what kind of prostate cancer you have. Is it confined to your prostate, meaning localized, or not? If it’s localized, knowing your risks of progression will help you decide if you can delay your treatment or not, or treat at all. For instance:
- A low-risk localized prostate cancer is unlikely to grow or spread for a long time, if at all.
- A medium-risk (intermediate-risk) localized prostate cancer may grow or spread in a few years.
- A high-risk localized prostate cancer has the greatest chance of starting to grow or spread.
The third thing: Take your time.
Remember, that cancer has been in there for a long time. It’s not going to grow very much over the next few weeks; in fact, it may not grow at all. You and your doctor may decide to hold off on treatment if this is a suitable option. If active surveillance is not a suitable option, it is far better to take a little while – and we can help; read over the information we have here on this website or call one our specialized nurse – to figure out which treatment is right for you.
Taking time to make a decision that is right for you is much better than to rush into treatment and later regret being so hasty. In this regard, delaying your treatment to make an informed decision is… wise.
Don’t hesitate. Contact us at 1 855 899-2872 to discuss with one of our nurses specialized in uro-oncology. It’s simple and free, like all of our other services.
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Sources and references
PCF.org – You have prostate cancer by Janet Farrar Worthington
Adapted by PROCURE. © All rights reserved – 2019
