Prostate Cancer Treatment: Active Surveillance

Prostate cancer is the most feared cancer for men, some of them grows very slowly compared to others. Active surveillance is one of management of prostate cancer that has objection to watching carefully those patient who decides not to undergo immediate surgery or radiation therapy. Although some might say that active surveillance is just postponing treatment, the truth is that for men who have very slow growing or very early cancers, immediate treatment might not make sense. Instead, they might choose to undergo vigilant monitoring, with frequent PSA and DRE tests. Additionally the use of ultrasound, CT, bone scans, or MRI might be used to watch for disease growth and the need for treatment. Active surveillance might also be a good choice for men who have other serious medical conditions that affect the way they live their lives, especially if these other conditions are likely to shorten their lifespan.

 Are you in type for active surveillance can only be determined after full consultation with your doctors. But for men who are older than age 65 as well as those who have low-grade tumors at diagnosis might do well with this approach. To put it simple, these men are likely to have fewer symptoms related to their disease and are more likely to die not because prostate cancer.

There is another important factor that your doctors are likely to consider is how healthy you are overall. Many of the prostate cancer treatment options for prostate cancer can be difficult to endure, and the healthier you are going into treatment, the more likely you are to have better outcomes. If you’re currently battling other disorders or diseases, such as heart disease, long-standing high blood pressure, or poorly controlled diabetes, your doctors might feel that it is in your best interest to hold off on therapy and avoid its potential complications.

When it comes down to it, every man’s circumstances are unique, and there’s no magic formula to knowing whether active surveillance is right for you. If you talk with your doctors and carefully weigh the pros and cons of the different treatment options before coming to any decision, you should be able to feel confident that the choice that you make is right for you.

Main article: Prostate Cancer Treatment