New Poll: What was your primary treatment for your Prostate Cancer?

  Purgatory said... I remember an old saying, that I always thought stood well. Ignorance is simply not knowing something. Stupidity is knowing something, then either denying it or ignoring it. Interesting… So, David, following that train of thought, what would you call it when someone with low risk PC pursues an aggressive & expensive treatment with side effects AFTER they know that the outcomes are the same whether they had treatment or no treatment ? BEFORE they know the difference would be one thing; but my question is about those who know this fact. Maybe you could address this in your "book."  

David, your point about this site still having a high representation of surgery patients is well taken. However, as one who has selected a "minority" choice, I think the changes in this site over the past four+ years are significant. While the surgery option still accounts for around 75% of your poll takers, my guess is that it would have been 90%+ when you and I first joined the forum. I recall one other active brachytherapy poster (JustJulie) and a couple of folks who had opted for non-traditional treatments like Ziggy with TFT. Virtually nothing mentioned about AS, Proton Therapy, HDR, HIFU, Cyber Knife, etc. Today all of those modallities are represented in one way or another, especially LDR and HDR brachytherapy.

More significantly, I think the diversity of treatments represented on this forum has also brought a change in the "advice" given to new patients. When you and I joined, the most frequent chorus was "Have surgery quickly - get the monster excised from your body"...or something reasonably similar. Today most of us, surgery or radiation patients alike, suggest that a new patient take his time, get educated, get a second biopsy opinion and seriously consider all options before making a potentially life changing decision. I think both the diversity and the advice represents a sea change and very positive improvement to the forum.

Anyway, thanks for the poll and the interesting thread.

Jim

tud,

glad you weighed in. i agree with you completely. the difference between now (2013) and HW in 2008, was that the "minority" treatment guys, to be polite, were treated either as aliens to the group or even with hostilities at times. glad to see that change, and glad to see more options on the table in general.

i am hardly an expert, don't pretend to be one about anything, but i still dont acknowledge any one primary treatment being better than another, its too much an individual decision based on so many factors and variables.

but as far as invasiveness and risk factors of some pretty serious side effects, i.e., incontinence and ED, then Surgery is still at the top of the list, even though its the most popular method.

each of us has to be their own "best advocate", something tony here has always preached and taught - and i agree strongly with that view. so, i for one, never judge another man's treatment decisions. it's enough for me to worry about my own body, let alone someone elses.

good input, appreciate it

david