Declining treatment - been told I may have prostate cancer. Been referred for biopsy but have heard it's painful and unpleasant

I suspect this may be a difficult question and am happy for moderators to remove it if considered inappropriate. I am seventy years old, I live on my own and have no relatives within a hundred miles, my GP identified that I may have prostate cancer from high PSA levels in a blood test and referred me for further tests by a Urology specialist at my local hospital. I have had an MRI that I haven't been told the details of but have now been referred for a biopsy that I believe is unpleasant,painful and potentially dangerous and wonder in the the event of a negative result what impact treatment will have on my quality and length of life as opposed to not having treatment and letting nature take it's course.

  • Hello Watt, and welcome to the club that no-one ever wants to join.  I have terminal cancer, and some time ago I decided to stop my treatment.  My family and friends all tried to  persuade me that I had a duty to fight for life for as long as possible, but  I decided that unless I can have the life I had before, I would rather let nature take its course.  Many people find this difficult to understand, but at the end of the day, it is your body and you have the right to make the decisions that feel appropriate for you............with regards to the biopsy, I can tell you that it is not painful, and you have no reason to fear it.  My advice is to think long and hard before you make your final decision on what you intend to do.......you might change your mind and decide that you want to fight this monstrous disease, or like me, you might decide that you will let nature take its course, but whatever you decide to do, remember one thing:  No-one has the right to try to force you to do the opposite of what you wish to do.  The choice is yours and yours alone, and even if other folks feel that you are making the wrong decision, they must allow you to do what you feel is right for you.  Good luck.   

  • Hi Watt, 

    Your at 

    A prostate biopsy should be neither painful nor potentially dangerous, whatever you’ve been told is the case. See https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information-and-support/prostate-tests/prostate-biopsy


    Your oncologist should be happy to discuss the pros and cons of the different available options with you. Depending on how far advanced and how fast growing it is, the advice different patients receive is wide-ranging. Your medical team won’t really know what they’re dealing with without a needle biopsy.

    I’ve know friends who have been advised that doing nothing is the best option because they’re more likely to die with it than of it. Other friends have been advised that without urgent surgery they’ll be in a lot of pain before dying in a matter of weeks. 

    Accepting treatment for any cancer is obviously a matter of individual choice, but obviously it’s always better to make as informed a decision as you can. 

    Good luck
    Dave

  • Offline in reply to davek

    That should start with “You’re at one of the most worrying stages of the cancer journey”.