In developing a treatment plan, you and your doctor must discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each treatment. The benefits of treatment depend on how large the cancer already is and how far it may have spread - in other words, its stage.

Why is it important for your doctor to determine the stage of your prostate cancer? Because only by knowing how the cancer is behaving and exactly where it is in the body can the best treatment for you be chosen.

The benefits of treatment can be substantial. If started in an early stage of prostate cancer, treatment may cure the disease. If treatment is started in later stage, it can extend life and help relieve symptoms. Among Canadian men with prostate cancer, thousands are still alive today who have lived without evidence of the disease for five or more years since their treatment began. And there are thousands of other Canadian men who, while still showing evidence of the disease, have continued to live comfortable and productive lives.

As a result of new and improved developments in treatment, men with prostate cancer are now living and with less discomfort and fewer treatment-related side effects

Prostate cancer can be treated by one or more of the following methods:

1. Watchful waiting
2. Surgery
3. Radiation therapy
4. Hormone therapy
5. Chemotherapy

The method selected to treat prostate cancer depends on its stage, its speed of growth, and the age and general health of the patient. Treatment choice also is based on how sexual and other sides effects might affect a patient's personal life and other aspects of health. All these factors can and should be discussed thoroughly by you and your doctor.

At the present time, certain choices are made more frequently than others for the treatment of each stage of prostate cancer. Your doctor will tell you the stage of your disease. Prostate cancer stages and common treatment choices are listed on the Prostate Cancer Staging page.

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