April 12, 2002
Suzanne Leaf-Brock507-284-5005 (days)507-284-2511 (evenings)e-mail: [email protected]
For Immediate Release
New Service on MayoClinic.com Helps Men with Early-Stage Prostate Cancer Decide what Treatment Option is Best
ROCHESTER, MINN. -- MayoClinic.com has developed a new service that guides men with early-stage prostate cancer through the decision-making process to determine what treatment option is best for their individual situation.
The new service is an Early-Stage Prostate Cancer Health Decision Guide that looks at five common treatment options with accompanying charts that identify the pros and cons of each treatment choice.
"There is no one best treatment for prostate cancer since every situation is a bit different, and a certain degree of educated judgment is necessary in every decision-making process," says Donald Novicki, M.D., a Mayo Clinic urologist and contributor to MayoClinic.com.
MayoClinic.com recommends that the best course of action for most men is to first educate themselves about the various treatment options. The MayoClinic.com Early-Stage Prostate Cancer Decision Guide explains in detail several available options -- including external beam radiation, radioactive seed implants and hormone therapy. It also includes personal stories of five men who each chose a different treatment option. Each person explains how he made his choice and the consequences of his decision. Their candid discussions can be viewed as videos or read as personal stories.
Other resources of the guide include an interview with Dr. Novicki, a summary of things to consider when deciding on a treatment and a dictionary of terms commonly used in discussion of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. By age 50, it is estimated that one in four men will have some cancerous cells in the prostate gland. By age 80, this doubles to one in two men.
"It's not unusual to feel alone when facing a prostate cancer diagnosis," says Dr. Novicki. "This resource is a way to hear in detail from others in similar circumstances. It is a tool to use in conjunction with the advice of your physician."
To find the Prostate Cancer Decision Guide, go to MayoClinic.com and click on "Health Decision Guides" in the left column.
MayoClinic.com is a source of reliable health information on topics from cancer to quitting smoking, healthy traveling and first aid. This site is produced as part of Mayo's commitment to serve as a dependable source of health information for the public.
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