If your cancer has not spread too far and is not particularly aggressive it is possible not simply to treat the condition but in fact to cure it. In many cases however where cancer has spread widely, or is too aggressive, treatment is a case of merely holding back the progress of the disease and providing you with the best possible quality of life.

Today one of the chief treatments for cases of advanced prostate cancer is chemotherapy often using a drug called docetaxal. Docetaxal is a very effective drug treatment for a lot of people and it does indeed hold back the progress of prostate cancer and extend life for many people. Nevertheless, it does have a number of side effects which include things like nausea, loss of appetite, hair loss and a greater risk of infection. It is here therefore that we run into one of the biggest problems in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

If you are treating a condition which cannot be cured and which will kill you sooner or later, then extending your life by slowing down the progression of the cancer is great as long as that treatment gives you an acceptable quality of life and does not end up being worse than the condition itself.

For many prostate cancer patients, who are frequently in their 60s, 70s or even 80s, chemotherapy is hardly pleasant but it is a price that is worth paying to buy them some time when they first start their treatment. However, as time goes by and the side effects start to come into play the picture often changes and a lot of patients begin to ask whether it is worth it. Of course this is never a simple question to answer and must be the subject of a discussion between the patient, his family and his physician.

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

There may however be a glimmer of light at the end of this tunnel because studies involving a group of patients with metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer indicate that a lot of people may be able to take a 'chemotherapy holiday' without any significant damage to their treatment. In other words, after a number of weeks of chemotherapy, and when the side effects are beginning to get you down, you may be able to stop your chemotherapy for a time and let your body recover a bit before going on with your treatment.

Naturally it is early days yet and no-one is quite certain yet about precisely how long your 'chemotherapy holidays' might be or how often you can take them, but for a significant number of advanced prostate cancer patients this seemingly small advance in treatment may well make a world of difference.