After listening and trying to understand Peter’s very laborious and very scientific explanations about my treatment options, my questioning remained. My “personal coefficient” would weigh in favor of a treatment that is more in line with my personal situation, my conception of life and my quality of life, my expectations of life and my sense of risk, in short, my personality. All this would make me opt for a less restrictive treatment in my mind as a patient. However, given my age and the type of cancer I was suffering from, it seems it would be more appropriate for me to opt for radical surgery…

My first meeting with the radiation oncologist: Perspective of Dr. Peter Vavassis – Passage from the book Le cancer de la prostate en noir & blanc, co-authored by Jean Fils-Aimé and radio-oncologist Peter Vavassis.

What to do then?

According to Dr. Peter Vavassis, “the first question is: what do you have as a choice? For example, if a surgeon refuses to operate a patient, the choice is off the table. The simplest way to consider this treatment puzzle is to return to the risk classification for prostate cancer: low risk, intermediate risk and high risk.”

Here we refer to the risk of progression of your cancer. This risk, discussed in the article I want to postpone my treatment… Is that wise? is based on your PSA level, the aggressiveness of your cancer (the Gleason score), and its degree of progression (the clinical stage).

How and what to choose?

As pointed out by Dr. Vavassis, “low risk cancer is actually the most complicated in terms of choice. Because here, too many choices are like not enough…” Indeed, when you have cancer of this type, the first question is: should we treat it or not? If we opt for active surveillance, the second question is: will it progress to the point where it will no longer be curable? If we decide to treat the disease and the options available to us are surgery, radiotherapy and/or brachytherapy, the third question is: how and what to choose?

As we have often mentioned – unless you have no choice because of aggressive cancer – taking the time to make the right decision is much better than opting for blind treatment and regretting it later. That’s why the relationship between you and your doctor is of fundamental importance. This relationship must be based on trust and healthy communication. In this regard:

• Feel free to ask questions about your illness, treatments, and side effects.
• Make a detailed list of your questions and update them by noting any new questions that come to your mind.
• Make sure you meet the surgeon and radiation oncologist to discuss your options before making a decision.

Discover our new animated videos
Discover three new animated videos, each equally unique and original from one to the other. Be on the lookout!
Here is the second one – Diagnosis and Treatment

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.

Conferences that might interest you
Just click on one of the links below
Active surveillance, surgery or radiotherapy? (April 2019-In French)
Radical Surgery
Radiotherapy/brachytherapy

Pages of our site that might interest you
Want to know more? Just click on the link below
Choosing your treatment

The latest PROCURE news that might interest you
Every week we publish a blog article. Here’s one we chose for you
What happens if I decide not to treat my prostate cancer?

Adapted by PROCURE. © All rights reserved – 2019