LONDON, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Men treated for prostate cancer feel optimistic about their condition over time and have a high level of trust for their doctors, says a British researcher.
"These results are really encouraging and reflect patients' positive experience of their treatment and the importance of doctors working in partnership with patients and their families to achieve the best possible outcomes, particularly as many men with prostate cancer can survive for many years with effective treatment, often outliving the disease," says Dr. Heather Payne of the University College Hospital, London.
Over one-third of the men said that they trusted their specialist physician completely, and more than half said this trust had increased from when they were first diagnosed, according to the study of men in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States.
This high level of trust was also reflected in treatment recommendations, although one in five men surveyed felt that they would like to be more involved in treatment decisions and nearly one in three felt they were not aware of all the treatment options available to them.
The survey results revealed that patients' desire for information about the disease and treatment options increased post diagnosis.