(CNN) -- Men diagnosed with prostate cancer have many choices in treatment and doctors often disagree over which is best. But two new studies may make the choices easier.

In this age of "patient empowerment," people are encouraged to take charge of their health. But searching for information, especially over the Internet, can be overwhelming.

The Journal of the American Medical Association reports on two studies that conclude choosing the best treatment should be more than a personal preference.

The secret is in the cells, that part of cancer diagnosis which determines whether a particular cancerous tumor is slow and lazy, fast growing and aggressive, or somewhere in between.

"If I had one golden therapy, then I'd just say, 'well Mr. Jones, this is what you ought to have because that's going to take care of your problem,'" said Dr. Harry Clarke of the urology department at Emory University.

Of course, there is no golden therapy for prostate cancer, but the new studies show those with low risk cancer may safely avoid radical surgery. For them, some radioactive seed implants or standard radiation may be enough.

Some men -- primarily , elderly -- may be watched and not treated at all. Research shows many are likely to die of old age before the cancer grows enough to threaten them.

"It was never going to cause them any problem and therefore did not need to be either diagnosed or treated," Clarke said.

But high risk tumors do threaten life. The research suggests surgical removal of the prostate is far more likely than any of the radiation techniques to cure the disease.

"So it's really the physician's job to try and work through this with the patient," Clarke said.