ok. there are a number of different factors that play into whether this prostate cancer is going to be significant. obviously we want to know the volume of the cancer. is there a lot there? obviously the more there is the worse it is. and we want to know the grain how aggressive it is. is this like a little puppy or is it like a doberman with rabies? the more aggressive the cancer the worse the prognosis. the more likely you’ll need aggressive therapy. and the larger volume also has a role. and we also do studies to evaluate has it spread is it just in one little area or has it spread. so that’s the two factors that we look at in determining how aggressive this cancer will or will not be for you. then we have to look at the factors that relate to you. what’s your health what’s your age how old were your parents when they died if not? if your father died at age 50 and you’re 47 then -- sl: ok. we’ll go back to that. so um if your father is 50 years old when he died and you’re 47 then we may not be as aggressive with higher-risk treatments. if on the other hand you’re 57 and your father is 94 and still active vibrant healthy then we need to consider that you probably have 40 years ahead of you and we’ll be more aggressive. we also need to look at your health. if you have any heart disease blood vessel disease diabetes if you’re out climbing mountains and hiking the grand canyon and you’re 63 then we’re going to want to be more aggressive as well. so all of those factors go into determining the nature of what the threat is because we never want the treatment worse than the disease. we know that for the majority of men prostate cancer will not kill them so we want to customize treatment. if you’re young and healthy we may be more aggressive. if you’re old and have health problems we probably will not.
how will my doctor determine the best treatment for my prostate cancer?