prostate-report.org

Watchful waiting versus aggressive treatment

With increasing life expectancies, improved surgical tools, and better information on patient results, many older men diagnosed with early prostate cancer are taking a pass on the traditional advice to hold off on treatment for a period of time.

So-called “watchful waiting” — or closely monitoring the cancer’s progression — is still a viable option. But many experts now believe that aggressive treatment — even for older men — may be the better way to go.

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.