PCCNC Patient Support Committee Portal
Living with Prostate Cancer
Metastatic prostate cancer is cancer that has spread to other parts of the body outside of the prostate. The most common points of metastis for prostate cancer are skeletal and lymphatic systems, but the disease can also spread to other organs. The current five year survival rates for metastatic prostate cancer is 33.3 percent. This does not mean you cannot defy the odds.
There are some hormonal therapies that can delay the progress of the disease for a few years. Over time, metastatic prostate cancer often stops responding to hormonal therapy.
There are some clinical trials available to men with advancing disease.
With metastatic cancer, pain management is an important aspect of patient care. Some helpful resources include the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Coping with Advanced Cancer booklet.
UsToo International has developed two wonderful resources that can serve as a guide to understanding how to manage advancing disease.
What Now? (1.2MB-PDF) and the Prostate Cancer Playbook (3.8MB-PDF).
End of Life Issues
With advancing disease, it is important to be sure you have addressed end of life issues. See NCI's End-of-Life Care: Questions and Answers and Advance Directives for help with discussion and decision making.