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24 November 2010 Active surveillance safe for some prostate cancersResearchers conclude with active surveillance, or watchful waiting, patients with early prostate tumours are monitored regularly and only treated if their cancers progresse. Active surveillance with delayed treatment, if necessary, for select patients appears to be safe" and associated with a low risk of the cancer spreading. To study the safety of active monitoring instead of immediate treatment of men with low-risk prostate cancer, researchers studied 268 men younger than age 75 years. They conclude despite the potential survival advantages associated with prostate cancer treatment, there is still a large number of patients who are over-treated and who will suffer from prolonged side effects that impair their quality of life. Active surveillance, based on strict criteria, might be a way to sort out patients with growing tumour that requires treatment from quiescent tumour that will not progress. Of that initial pool of men electing active surveillance of their cancer, 43 eventually chose treatment or had evidence of cancer progression prompting recommendation of treatment by their physician. Following delayed treatment (radiation or surgery,) all but one were cured of their cancer. The remaining 219 patients remained on active surveillance without evidence that their disease had spread. At 2 years the probability of staying on active surveillance was 91 percent. At 5 years, it was 75 percent. researchers pointed that these patients should still be closely monitored, but it seems likely, for many of them, the p.rostate c.ancer will not ultimately develop and will not require any kind of active and therefore morbid treatment. 
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