prostate-report.org

Researchers rethink prostate cancer treatment in seniors

A study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association helped shake up the conventional wisdom. The study, which involved some 44,000 men, found that the death risk for those who received prostate cancer treatment was nearly one-third lower than for men who received no treatment. And that was true across all age categories, including the oldest men in the study, aged 75 to 80.

Because prostate cancer is generally a slow-growing cancer, some men may never need treatment. And for many older men without symptoms, watchful waiting has been recommended, because it was believed they would die from other causes before their cancer advanced.

But as men’s life expectancy creeps higher and new robotic techniques improve the precision of surgery, the decision is becoming more complicated.

Cancer patients should understand the risks and benefits of all their treatment options — radiation, surgery and observation. If they choose observation, they should be committed to careful follow-up with their physicians.

Watchful waiting does not mean watching someone die. Many oncologists today prefer the term “active surveillance”, because it more accurately describes the diligent approach to monitoring these patients, including the use of PSA blood tests, digital rectal exams and biopsies of the prostate to detect changes in the cancer.