| Prostatectomy | - Possibility of permanently curing your cancer
- If your doctor needs to remove lymph nodes for testing, this can be done during the same surgery
| - Risk of erectile dysfunction or urinary incontinence
- Risk of complications associated with any surgical procedure (such as bleeding, pain, or infection)
- Requires time to recover before returning to work/activities
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| External beam radiation therapy | - Possibility of permanently curing your cancer
- You can continue your normal activities during treatment
| - Side effects may include erectile dysfunction, needing to urinate urgently, urinary incontinence, bladder pain, or proctitis (swelling and pain in the rectum)
- Requires committing to treatment 5 days a week for 4 to 8 weeks
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| Brachytherapy | - Possibility of permanently curing your cancer
- Unlike external beam radiation therapy, usually only requires 1 treatment session
| - Requires anesthesia to have the radiation-emitting device(s) implanted
- Side effects may include erectile dysfunction, urinary urgency and frequency, burning with urination, or trouble emptying the bladder
- Less common side effects include bowel urgency and frequency, rectal bleeding, and rectal ulcers
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| Active surveillance | - Avoids or delays all risks and side effects associated with treatment
| - The cancer could grow or spread, making it harder to treat and maybe impossible to cure; however, men are generally closely monitored with blood tests, examinations, X-rays, and/or prostate biopsies in order to detect any increase in the risk of cancer growth and spread (in which case definitive treatment can be offered)
- Knowing that you have cancer but aren't treating it might cause stress or anxiety
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