Relevant patient and tumor considerations for early prostate cancer treatment.

Prostate cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed noncutaneous malignancy in American men. Currently, there are 3 standard treatment options available to men with early prostate cancer: expectant management, radiation therapy, and radical prostatectomy. Although a number of studies have evaluated survival after treatment for early prostate cancer, the optimal choice of therapy for any given patient remains a difficult decision and requires the consideration of a variety of patient and tumor factors. The final selection of therapy for early prostate cancer should be based on an informed discussion between the physician and patient. To accomplish this goal, patients must be made familiar with the pertinent factors that affect survival. We review the factors most relevant for patients to understand as they consider their treatment options for early prostate cancer and summarize the data for physicians who counsel them.