Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center - (Page 35)
Playbook
There are many ways to treat prostate
cancer—how do you choose? Two men who
faced a diagnosis share their stories
OPENING PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES; WHISTLE BY THINKSTOCK
More than 2 million U.S. men are living with
prostate cancer, with a new case diagnosed about
every two minutes. That may seem grim, but
there is a bright side. Thanks to screenings that detect the
cancer early, the cure rate is high for this disease that mostly
affects men older than 40.
Of course, the word cure is a bit taboo because it’s tough to say that a cancer
is ever truly cured. But living cancer-free for an extended time earns you the
right to use cure. Almost 100 percent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer in
the early stages will be disease-free after five years, according to the Prostate
Cancer Foundation. To put this into perspective, in the 1970s only 67 percent
of men could say the same thing after five years.
After a diagnosis of any cancer, you face a series of choices, one of which is
deciding on your treatment plan. It’s a personal decision that requires weighing all your options, talking to your doctors and ultimately deciding what’s
best for you and your lifestyle.
Following are the stories of two men who received a prostate diagnosis and
the different routes of treatment they chose.
BY AMANDA KIPPERT
SUMM ER 2013
35
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