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Watchful Waiting often best strategy for slow-progressing prostate cancerThe issue of how (or whether) to treat localized prostate cancer is controversial. Especially for older men, the tumor may not progress far enough to cause real trouble during their remaining expected lifespan. In those cases, deferring prostate cancer treatment until there are signs of disease progression may be the better option. The researchers investigated almost 6,900 patients from the National Prostate Cancer Registry Sweden, age 70 or younger, who had localized prostate cancer and a low or intermediate risk that the cancer would progress. Data showed that from 1997 through December 2002, over 2,000 patients were assigned to active surveillance, close to 3,400 underwent radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate and some surrounding tissue), and more than 1,400 received radiation therapy. Researchers found the surveillance group had a much higher death rate from causes other than prostate cancer -- 19.2 percent, compared with 6.8 percent in the prostatectomy group and 10.9 percent in the radiation therapy group. This suggests that patients with a shorter life expectancy were more often selected for active surveillance rather than surgery or radiation therapy, the researchers said. The researchers concluded that, based on these findings, prostate surgery, radiation not always ideal for many with low risk disease, while active surveillance is the best strategy for many cancer patients fighting this circumstances. The study was published online June 18 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. NOTE: Issues on this site regarding prostate cancer and treatment options, are provided for information only, and are not meant to substitute for the advice of your own physician or other medical professional. Prostate-Report.org does not endorse any specific product, service or treatment. |
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