I know when my father was undergoing radiation treatment for his bladder cancer, I was amazed at the computerized system they had for aiming the radiation exactly where they needed it. One of the down sides to the whole system is the fact that, inspite of the best effort on the part of the patient and doctor, movement can occur. When precision is a necessity, movement is the enemy.

There is now a system being used in the treatment of prostate cancer that can make automatic adjustments to compensate for small movements. Hopefully this type of system will be available for larger target cancers before long.

It is innovations like this that will make treatment more effective and anytime treatment is more effective, the end result is more acceptable to a life insurance underwriter.

Of course radiation is just one option for prostate cancer treatment. Depending on the aggressiveness of the cancer when it is diagnosed, determined by the stage and grade of the cancer, the treating physician may recommend a radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate), radioactive seed implant, radiation (as described above), or hormone therapy. An option that is being looked at more frequently with older men is to just watch and wait . In many cases, no treatment is OK as long as the cancer is in a fairly slow progression mode. In all likelihood, the patient would not succumb to the cancer, but at an advanced age, would pass away from some other cause.

Bottom line. Get regular checkups that include a prostate exam and psa test. Keep copies of all test results if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, or really with any type of cancer. Those test results are invaluable when your independent agent is shopping for competitive life insurance rates.