More aggressive treatment not necessary for men with a family history of prostate cancer, study suggests
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - 21:30
in Health & Medicine
There are three major factors that are used to evaluate the extent and aggressiveness of prostate cancer, help make treatment decisions, and estimate prognosis: the prostate specific antigen level, Gleason score from the biopsy, and the digital rectal exam findings. However, men with a family history of prostate cancer have often been feared to have a more aggressive form of the disease not otherwise represented by these three factors and therefore are sometimes urged to undergo more aggressive treatment. Now, a radiation oncologist reports that men with a family history of prostate cancer should expect equally good outcomes following radiotherapy for prostate cancer as patients without a family history.