As long as your cancer has not spread too widely and is not particularly aggressive it is still possible not just to treat it but in fact to cure it. But, in many cases where the disease has spread widely, or is especially aggressive, treatment becomes a matter of simply holding back the progression of the disease and providing you with the best quality of life possible.

Today one of the main treatments for advanced prostate cancer is intravenous chemotherapy frequently using a drug called docetaxal. This is a particularly effective drug for many people and does indeed hold back the progression of prostate cancer and extend the life of a significant number of people. Nevertheless, it is not without its side effects which include things like nausea, hair loss, loss of appetite and a heightened risk of infection. Consequently it is here that we come across one of the biggest problems in treating advanced prostate cancer.

Where you are treating a disease which cannot be cured and which will kill you sooner or later, then lengthening your life by slowing down the progression of the condition is good as long as that treatment gives you a reasonable quality of life and does not end up being worse than the disease itself.

For a significant number of prostate cancer patients, who are generally in their 60s, 70s or even 80s, chemotherapy is hardly pleasant but is a price worth paying when they first start their treatment. But, as the treatment progresses and the side effects start to build the picture frequently changes and many patients start to ask whether or not it is all worth it. This of course is never a simple question to answer and needs to be the subject of a very personal discussion between yourself, your family and your physician.

Many of us are familiar with this scenario either through our own personal experience of illness or through our experience of seeing a family member of close friend in this situation and will know well just how hard a time it can be.

Now, however, there may be a little light at the end of this tunnel because studies involving a sizeable group of patients with metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer indicate that many people may be able to take a 'chemotherapy holiday' without any significant harm to their treatment. Put another way, following a number of weeks of chemotherapy, and when the side effects are really beginning to get you down, you may be able to simply stop your chemotherapy for a while and let your body recover a bit before going on with your treatment.

Naturally it is early days yet and nobody is exactly certain yet about exactly how long a 'chemotherapy holidays' might be or how frequently you can take them, but for many advanced prostate cancer patients this seemingly minor advance in treatment could make all the difference in the world.