Understanding Your Diagnosis

As with any health diagnosis, you should seek as much knowledge about prostate cancer as possible so you’ll understand your disease and the treatment options, and one good way to do that is by talking with other men who either have the disease or who have been treated.

It might feel a little strange at first, and that's understandable. But give it a try! They can provide a valuable first-hand account of what it’s like to have prostate cancer. Don’t be overly influenced by the treatment option they chose, however. Simply listen and learn.

For medical advice, rely on your urologist. “Studies have shown that when it comes to making a decision about treatment, a man with prostate cancer is as likely to listen to his golf partner as an expert at a world-renowned cancer facility,” says Dr. Louis Potters, chairman of radiation medicine at North Shore Health System on Long Island. “You’ve got to be careful about anecdotes and personal experiences.” First-hand accounts can be very informative, and they may even provide you with fresh ways of approaching the choices you face, but your case is unique to you, and your urologist will help you identify the best ways to treat it.