Most Men Happy With Prostate Cancer Treatment Decision
Most Men Happy With Prostate Cancer Treatment Decision
Study Suggests Most Satisfied With Prostate Cancer Treatment
April 29, 2003 -- Most men who opt to undergo treatment for prostate cancer have no regrets on their decided therapy. In fact, a new study shows that some 60% of those surveyed two years after their initial diagnosis say they were "delighted" or "very pleased" with their choice of prostate cancer treatment, and 76% said they would make the same choice again.
Meanwhile, those who chose to forgo early-stage prostate cancer treatment were split on whether they were happy or regretted that decision.
These findings suggest that many diagnosed with the most common cancer among American men feel that any treatment is better than none, says lead researcher Richard M. Hoffman, MD, MPH. They were most satisfied when they opted for treatment, had few side effects, believed they were cancer-free, and had good social support.
"Having a diagnosis of cancer is scary, and men are obviously quite pleased to have undergone a potentially curative treatment," he tells WebMD. "Additionally, even though many men we surveyed did have serious treatment side effects -- particularly with urinary and sexual dysfunction -- their overall health remained good."
Most of the men surveyed at six sites across the nation opted for the most extreme prostate cancer treatment -- radical prostatectomy, surgery to remove the entire prostate and local lymph nodes while trying to spare surrounding muscles and nerves that control urination and sexual function. "Surgery has been widely publicized, and Bob Dole, Norman Schwartzkopf, and Joe Torre have undergone radical prostatectomy," says Hoffman, of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. "Surgery is also probably favored because it is the treatment that patients first hear about."
Compared with the nearly 1,400 men who underwent surgery, nearly 600 others received radiation therapy to shrink tumors and 179 were given drugs to stop their body from producing male sex hormones that promote growth of cancer cells. Only 230 chose to have no prostate cancer treatment.
The results: Some 76% of those who had surgery were later deemed cancer-free, compared with 52% of those getting radiation and 16% receiving hormone therapy.
Men Happy With Cancer Treatment Decision
Study Suggests Most Satisfied With Prostate Cancer Treatment
April 29, 2003 -- Most men who opt to undergo treatment for prostate cancer have no regrets on their decided therapy. In fact, a new study shows that some 60% of those surveyed two years after their initial diagnosis say they were "delighted" or "very pleased" with their choice of prostate cancer treatment, and 76% said they would make the same choice again.
Meanwhile, those who chose to forgo early-stage prostate cancer treatment were split on whether they were happy or regretted that decision.
These findings suggest that many diagnosed with the most common cancer among American men feel that any treatment is better than none, says lead researcher Richard M. Hoffman, MD, MPH. They were most satisfied when they opted for treatment, had few side effects, believed they were cancer-free, and had good social support.
"Having a diagnosis of cancer is scary, and men are obviously quite pleased to have undergone a potentially curative treatment," he tells WebMD. "Additionally, even though many men we surveyed did have serious treatment side effects -- particularly with urinary and sexual dysfunction -- their overall health remained good."
Most of the men surveyed at six sites across the nation opted for the most extreme prostate cancer treatment -- radical prostatectomy, surgery to remove the entire prostate and local lymph nodes while trying to spare surrounding muscles and nerves that control urination and sexual function. "Surgery has been widely publicized, and Bob Dole, Norman Schwartzkopf, and Joe Torre have undergone radical prostatectomy," says Hoffman, of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. "Surgery is also probably favored because it is the treatment that patients first hear about."
Compared with the nearly 1,400 men who underwent surgery, nearly 600 others received radiation therapy to shrink tumors and 179 were given drugs to stop their body from producing male sex hormones that promote growth of cancer cells. Only 230 chose to have no prostate cancer treatment.
The results: Some 76% of those who had surgery were later deemed cancer-free, compared with 52% of those getting radiation and 16% receiving hormone therapy.
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