Yes and no. The answer to the question Is it safe to delay my treatment depends on many factors: your type of prostate cancer, your age, and your general health. Your treatment may be delayed due to an external situation beyond your control such as a pandemic. Or lack of nurses or availability of an operating room. If this is the case, your doctor will always take into account the impact of delays on your prognosis depending on your type of prostate cancer.

If your cancer has been diagnosed through regular screening, this is better news, so to speak, and a good reason not to panic. Just a few decades ago, before PSA testing and screening became widespread, most men did not know they had prostate cancer until it was often too late for complete healing.

Also, remember that your cancer has been around for a long time. And that it will not skyrocket in a few weeks following your diagnosis; in fact, some types of prostate cancer will not progress at all. You and your doctor can then decide to delay treatment if this option is appropriate. If not treating your cancer is not an option, it is far better to take time – and we can help – to find out which treatment is right for you.

No matter what the situation, you try to be open-minded and somewhat rational, but the more time passes, the more you worry about its impact on the progression of your cancer? Let’s see together.

Will my cancer progress? Here are three scenarios

Scenario 1 – In a situation like a pandemic, if your doctor decides to postpone your treatment, it is because he considers the risk linked to the interruption of treatment much lower than that linked to the risk of developing a serious viral infection, therefore endangering your life. Fortunately, most prostate cancers are diagnosed early, progress more slowly than other cancers, which allows flexibility in terms of treatment times, without harming you.

Scenario 2 – If your prostate cancer is at high risk for progression, your doctor will want to go ahead with treatment without delay. However, for example, if it is impossible to have access to surgery within an acceptable timeframe, several options can be considered, such as radiotherapy, or in the interim, hormone therapy to control the progression of cancer and put it on “standby” before your surgery.

Scenario 3 – If on the other hand, it is you who are causing the treatment delays because you are undecided, because you are afraid of the side effects or because you are in denial and prefer to sweep your illness under the carpet, then yes, there may be a risk of progression of your cancer… if it is aggressive or advanced at diagnosis.

Talk to your doctor

So the answer to the question Is it safe to delay my treatment depends on many factors: your type of prostate cancer, your age, and your general health. We can delay treatment or establish active surveillance for localized cancer at low risk of progression. Conversely, we will not play with fire if cancer has a high risk of progression. The best person to guide you through the whole decision process is, of course, your doctor. So do not hesitate to talk to him about your concerns and ask him for explanations.

Take the time to visit each of our pages on this website, as well as our YouTube channel, in order to get familiar with the disease with our expert lectures, our section on available resources, the support that is offered to you.

Do you have any questions or concerns? Above all, do not hesitate. Contact us at 1 855 899-2873 to discuss with a nurse specializing in uro-oncology. It’s simple and free, like all our services.