Am I limited in options because of my age? Scans, drug holidays, meds..? Agism? Not that I've run into it, yet (I think), but discourage from changes to get rid of bad ADT side effects, such as weakening, fatigue, ...
Treatments past 80 yrs. : Am I limited... - Advanced Prostate...
Treatments past 80 yrs.
You are only going to be as limited as your ability to self-educate what options are available before you meet with oncologists. (Or have an educated advocate present.) Study up on trials -- eg LATITUDE, CHARTED, PEACE, etc. Use your doctor's language and they will not be as likely to assume you are ignorant and dismiss spurious concerns.
A doctor's time is very limited. You owe it to yourself to walk into appointments with reasoned questions written out.
Treatments are based on "performance status" and "physiological age," not chronological age. It is true that recovery is slower as we age, and anesthesia can be difficult. It is also true that some drugs are more potent in older men. But if performance status is good, I can't think of any treatments, other than prostatectomy, that can't be used on older men. Sadly, ageism is rampant and some oncologists don't give men the treatments that would, in the end, help them avoid painful and crippling metastases.