When deciding on a treatment plan to address prostate cancer, you should take time to discuss your options with your doctor, and weigh both the advantages and disadvantages of each form of treatment.

The type of treatment your doctor will suggest will depend on a number of different factors.

Here are some factors that are taken into account when choosing a treatment for prostate cancer. Factors To Consider: One major factor to consider is how large the tumor is, and how far it has spread outside the prostate.

Tumors are assigned a stage from 1 to 4 based on the size of the cancer or the volume of the cancer, and treatment options will vary depending on the stage.

Another Factor to consider is your Gleason Score In the simplest of terms, this scoring system assigns a number to describe how abnormal the cells taken from a prostate biopsy appear under a microscope.

Grades 1 and 2 are considered normal prostate cells. Grades 3 – 5 are thought of as cancer cells, with grade 5 being considered the most abnormal.

Another major factor to consider is your PSA levels Knowing your PSA level can provide more information about your cancer. Prostate-specific antigen is a protein produced exclusively by prostate cells. The chance of having prostate cancer increases as the PSA level rises.

Age: Age is also taken into account when deciding on treatment. If you are older and your prostate cancer isn’t causing you any issues, you may live just as long without having any active treatment. Instead you may be offered regular checkups (active surveillance) instead of treatment to carefully monitor the progression of the cancer. If and when your condition worsens then your doctor will suggest treatment options.

Making a decision about how to treat prostate cancer can be difficult to do on your own. Your health care team is an excellent resource to seek out should you have more questions about choosing a treatment course that is right for you.

It’s important to understand that every man’s experience with prostate cancer is different, but the bottom line is to treat your prostate cancer with minimal impact on the quality of your life.