Treatment decision depends on the age of patient, his general health condition and stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis (staging). Low-risk patients (table 1) can choose any single treatment (radical prostatectomy, brachytherapy or external beam radiation) having excellent results. Intermediate and high-risk patients should be treated with two or three different therapies in order to achieve the highest cure rates.
The final decision of treatment concerns only the patient and should be taken after consultation by his urologist, who should carefully present the side effects of each method.
| Low risk | Intermediate risk | High risk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | < 10 | 10 - 20 | > 20 |
| Gleason | ≤ 6 | 7 | 8 - 10 |
| Clinical stage | ≤ T2a | T2b,c | > T2c |
Table 1: Prostate cancer patients risk groups