Questions for prostate cancer

What is my life expectancy with treatment and if I do nothing?

This will depend on the stage of the disease. For example, for patients with stage IV (metastatic) prostate cancer, the average life expectancy with treatment can be approximately 5 to 6 years, but can be significantly shorter if left untreated.

Regarding targeted therapy or immunotherapy:

Genetic testing is recommended for many patients with prostate cancer, including those with advanced and/or high grade prostate cancer, strong family history or Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. Testing of the tumor is also recommended in many cases. For patients with specific genetic mutations (or mutations in their tumor), such as BRCA2, targeted therapies are recommended in patients with advanced disease. There is one FDA approved immunotherapy for prostate cancer, a vaccine known as sipuleucel-T. Many other immunotherapies and targeted therapies are currently being tested in clinical trials, and patients should talk to their doctors about their eligibility and appropriateness for clinical trials.

Was anything missed until now? Could I have done anything to prevent this?

I usually counsel my patients to focus on the present and the future. In general, prostate cancer does not have the same preventable risk factors such as skin cancer (sun exposure) or lung cancer (smoking).