Decision Aide
The PCRI decision aide is intended to provide you with an in-depth roadmap that will empower you to locate and use information that is pertinent to your situation. Information referenced is provided by PCRI with links to other sources to help you to take charge of your treatment plan. It is not meant to be a textbook on prostate cancer. There are many fine books listed on our Books page.
Prostate Cancer is a family of diseases, most are slow growing but some are extremely aggressive. There are no hard and fast rules that apply to determine when and how your prostate cancer should be treated. It is important for you, the patient, to understand the extent and aggressiveness of your disease before considering the treatment options available.
| Section | contains | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Where To Start? | some basics for empowerment |
Released |
| Finding If You Have PC? | screening, preventing & diagnosing prostate cancer | Released |
| Understanding Your Diagnosis? | defining risk & probabilities based on your medical records | Released |
| What Are Your Options? | deciding if, when and how to treat | Released |
| Local Treatments? | treating cancer in the prostate | Released |
| Systemic Treatments? | treating prostate cancer anywhere | Released |
| If Your PC Returns? | preventing & treating progression during/after treatment | Released |
| Side-Effects? | dealing with treatment complications | Released |
| Any Alternatives? | diet & life style modification plus complementary options | Released |
PCRI provides information as a free, educational resource, to help patients understand their options to facilitate communication with their doctors and hopefully improve their outcomes. The information provided should not be considered or construed to be medical advice.
While PCRI does not provide medical advice, we do emphasize a few concepts that we believe to be critical to patient empowerment and success.
- You must take the lead in learning about your disease and in making your treatment decisions.
- Obtain copies of all medical records, strive to understand them and maintain a chronological log.
- Comprehensive staging is essential to understand the extent of your disease.
- Algorithms and nomograms provide estimates of risk. They do not determine your outcome.
- Understand your risk category so you can make an informed treatment choice. – See: What’s Your Shade?
- Seek multiple medical opinions from highly regarded medical professionals specializing in prostate cancer with state-of-the-art knowledge and equipment.
- Base treatment selection on success rates and potential side-effects.
- Remember: the impact of treatment on quality-of-life starts immediately. Any possible impact of treatment on survival is delayed for many years.
- Don’t rush the treatment selection process or allow other to rush you.
- Beware of medical professionals or lay people with rigid or overly-simplistic advice.
- Surround yourself with optimistic and helpful friends, medical professionals, and support groups.
- Long term outcome is almost invariably improved by eating a heart-healthy diet and obtaining adequate exercise.
For more information on prostate cancer:
Contact the free PCRI Helpline at help@pcri.org or 800-641-PCRI.
