Connect
← Return to Ignoring Prostate Cancer Entirely
Discussion
Ignoring Prostate Cancer Entirely
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: 1 hour ago | Replies (32)Comment receiving replies
Just to add, I went back to the ProtecT UK study. Men in AS had nearly DOUBLE the rate of metastasis than men in either the surgery or radiation cohort (s). So now it’s a lifetime of ADT -and some required interventional treatment as well.
We all know how detrimental ADT can be, so again, we’re back to trading side effects from various treatment modalities even if we strip out the mortality factor….
Prostate Cancer simply sucks all around…
Replies to "Just to add, I went back to the ProtecT UK study. Men in AS had nearly..."
Again you have squared the circle. ADT and other are so very bad as to SE"s for most. Dr, You would have to experience it to know how crappy you can feel on these treatments. Lift weights! Exercise! Take a walk! I'll get right to it after I crawl back from the toilet. Dr's must know how bad SE's can be but they also know there is nothing they can do about it.
SW
Connect
Thanks — that's interesting!
Patients weren't randomly assigned into the RP, RT, or AS groups, so while it's suggestive that men who chose AS seem to have had a higher rate of metastasis, it could be due to some other cause (e.g. they were younger and would live longer for metastasis to happen, or they were elderly, and didn't want to deal with the side-effects of RT or RP in their remaining years, or they were just people who were more likely to avoid treatment later if the cancer progressed).
I honestly wouldn't know how to use this data to help me make a decision if I had a borderline diagnosis, except that both radiation and surgery have better outcomes and many fewer side effects than they did in 1998 when that study was launched, so the cost-benefit equation may have shifted in other ways.