How to Live With Incurable Prostate Cancer

Despite statistics from the medical website eMedTV that show prostate cancer as one of the more treatable forms of cancer, not all cases have a satisfying prognosis. When prostate cancer spreads throughout the body, the survival rate drops accordingly--only one-third of individuals with advanced prostate cancer will live five years past their diagnosis. Coping with these facts can be difficult, but there are steps you can take to make the best of a bad situation, improving your remaining quality of life as much as possible.

Instructions

• 1

  Hold a frank discussion with your supervising physician to discuss reasonable treatment goals for this final stage. While your physician may attempt to push experimental or other unlikely treatments upon you, only you can decide if the cost of treatment (side effects, discomfort, etc.) are worth the chances of survival being offered. Don't be afraid to decline treatment when you feel it is in your best interest, or when you are reluctant to subject yourself to further testing.

• 2

  Consider the possibility of palliative treatment to ease some of the side effects from advanced prostate cancer, including pain management. According to the National Cancer Institute, palliative therapy includes the same traditional treatments (surgery, radiation therapy and chemo), but the goal is to make you as comfortable as possible instead of striving to beat cancer at any cost to your well-being.

• 3

  Consider enrolling in clinical trials to improve the body of knowledge surrounding prostate cancer research. Even where the clinical trial in question might do little for your particular case, you can take solace in knowing you are giving something back to others who are similarly situated. It's only through the sacrifices of existing patients that science can extend its ability to treat prostate cancer, so at least give a thought to considering enrollment in one or more clinical trials while you can.

• 4

  Seek professional aid or counseling. Coping with an incurable disease is nothing you should have to face on your own, and seeking aid through one-on-one consultations or group therapy can help you effectively manage the situation confronting you. Even if you do not believe in the effectiveness of counseling, you have little to lose by trying one or two sessions to see if it provides some benefit.