Interview 19

Age at interview: 65

Age at diagnosis: 65

Brief Outline:

Diagnosed with prostate cancer 2000. External beam radiation and short hormone treatment.

Believes that stress is a trigger.

I did ask or at least my wife asked the consultant whether it could be stress related and of course he wasn't able to say yes it was although he did say 'Well you know there is a possibility.' My own belief is that it is stress related. I think that there's things that can trigger it off, not just what I have but other things as well - yes, I believe that.

Concludes he was happy to be guided by the doctor in his decision for treatment.

Did you feel you had enough time to discuss it all then?

Oh I think so, I think the consultant, when we met was excellent. Now whether we would've had that sort of one to one opportunity had somebody not told me that over the telephone [that he had cancer], we shall never know, but we had this one to one with the consultant who explained everything.

Did he explain the advantages and disadvantages of each of the options?

Yes he did, yes and all the side-effects, the drawbacks, and you know, what the advantages were. So we then said 'Well you know what's the next step?' and the next step was for me to then see the radiotherapy consultant or whatever he was.

Did you feel it was your decision to have the radiotherapy or were you very much guided by him?

I think I was guided by him. He had said that the planned treatment for me was radiotherapy with perhaps a supplemented hormone treatment as well.