Billionaire Warren Buffett bravely battled prostate cancer nearly a decade ago, and his recovery has inspired many. Thanks to advancements in research, men have more options when it comes to approaching early stage prostate cancer.
Buffett, 89, was diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer in 2012 and underwent 44 days of radiation therapy. That same year, he announced that he had completed treatment. Despite the diagnosis, Buffett reassured the public that he was in good spirits and remained positive throughout his treatment.
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Active Surveillance For Prostate Cancer
When deciding treatment options for early stage prostate cancer, there’s a strong debate on what would benefit the patient most. Some doctors recommend active surveillance, which is a watch and wait approach for men who have low-risk prostate cancer, meaning you have a small number of cancer cells found in the biopsy, a low PSA, and a low-grade cancer. Through active surveillance, men will go through less tests, and doctors monitor whether the tumor is shrinking or growing. Plus, choosing active surveillance means you avoid the potential side effects of treatment, including sexual and urinary problems. However, about 50% of men who opt for active surveillance will have changes within five years that require active treatment.
Related: When Is Active Surveillance Not Enough?
“The issue with considering treatment versus active surveillance is with active surveillance you preserve your normal functioning,” says Dr. James Brooks, a urologic oncologist at Stanford Hospital & Clinics. “You don’t have to suffer some of those potential side effects of sexual dysfunction or urinary dysfunction. So those are important considerations for men choosing active surveillance.”
Dr. James Brooks explains the benefits of active surveillance for low risk prostate cancer
Active Treatment For Prostate Cancer
As opposed to active surveillance, some men may want to start active treatment immediately. Deciding what treatment to go with is a very personal decision, and experts suggests men should seek out second and even third opinions before starting treatment to determine which will be the most successful.
When treating prostate cancer there’s a common debate among radiation or surgery. Experts stress that it’s up to the patient to be honest with what they want to do, and express concerns and fears with their doctor.
“ I see patients who will say, ‘look, why would you radiate it when it’s still there? Let’s just cut the darn thing out! If I see a weed growing in my lawn, I just want to pluck it out and be done with it,'” says Dr. Stephen Freedland, Director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. “I’m like, that’s great. Makes perfect sense. Let’s go with surgery. I see other patients that are like, ‘I’m terrified to have surgery.’ If they’re just against surgery, I go, great, let’s do radiation. Doesn’t matter to me. I want to do the right thing for you that you’re comfortable with because you’re the one that needs to live with the consequences, the risks of that choice, knowing the benefits are probably similar.”
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