What is Crucial When Choosing Treatment for Prostate Cancer?

There is no clear cut formula for choosing prostate cancer treatment. However, the mere diagnosis of the disease causes deep anxiety, especially when one thinks of the following:

• The risk of having short or long term urinary incontinence and/or erectile dysfunction after treatment
• The time commitment you have to put in for treatment and recovery
• The risk of infection after surgery or hospitalization
• The risk of secondary cancers arising from radiation exposure
• The risk of your cancer progressing while on Active Surveillance
• The risk of prostate cancer recurrence even after undergoing aggressive treatment

Deciding on what is important for your situation can be overwhelming for you. Although a lot of resources are available on the internet, you may find yourself in a dilemma when you are faced with the facts amidst your anxiety.

However, choosing a treatment option for prostate cancer or active surveillance depends on the values and principles that give your life meaning. Some harsh situations, such as a prostate cancer diagnosis, can give you a chance to understand what is most precious in your life.

What matters when deciding on treatment is how your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing will be during and after treatment. Making a decision based on anxiety and fear will make the process uncomfortable for you and interfere with your quality of life.

A treatment decision based on opportunity with a clear goal of getting better regardless of the consequences will lead to positive outcomes. No treatment guarantees success without encountering some risks. The doctor may recommend what they think is right for your situation, but what matters most is what lies within you and how you want your life to turn out.

Therefore, when choosing a treatment, you should consider the outcomes and your life after treatment. Limiting your decisions to your anger, fear, and frustration may not provide you with the best results in the long run. Allow your future expectations in life to be your guide, and the rest will follow.