The gist of a 68-point medical advisory for guiding prostate cancer patients to select appropriate treatment is simple: Let your doctor help you decide what’s best for your particular situation.
The sheer volume of treatment options, including surgery, radiation or hormone therapy, requires solid medical advice, according to the authors of the new guidelines – the American Urological Association (AUA), the American Society for Radiation Oncology and the Society of Urologic Oncology.
“Selecting optimal care for each prostate cancer patient is a complex process that requires physicians to help patients choose options consistent with the patient's own values and in accordance with the best available scientific evidence," Dr. Martin Sanda, who chairs the guideline development panel as well as the urology department at the Emory School of Medicine, said in a AUA press release.
Sanda said the guidelines cover which treatments are best for each type of cancer. “It also provides specifics for implementing care options, managing side effects and administering post-treatment follow-up,” he said.
