Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer

1. Counseling of patients to select a management strategy for localized prostate cancer should incorporate SDM and explicitl consider cancer severity (risk category), patient values and preferences, life expectancy, pre-treatment general functional and genitourinary symptoms, expected posttreatment functional status, and potential for salvage treatment.

2. Prostate cancer patients should be counseled regarding the importance of modifiable health-related behaviors or risk factors, such as smoking and obesity.

3. Clinicians should encourage patients to meet with different prostate cancer care specialists (e.g., urology and either radiation oncology or medical oncology or both) when possible to promote informed decision making.

4. Effective SDM in prostate cancer care requires clinicians to inform patients about immediate and long-term morbidity or side effects of proposed treatment or care options.

5. Clinicians should inform patients about suitable clinical trials and encourage patients to consider participation in such trials based on eligibility and access.