When people hear a diagnosis of cancer, they naturally worry about the future. The first thought is often to do something to try to rid the body of the abnormal cells.
But many men with prostate cancer are increasingly being told to watch and wait rather than undergo aggressive surgery or radiation therapy. The majority of prostate tumors are slow-growing and rarely cause death. A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology followed more than 12,000 men with prostate cancer. Although all had their prostates removed, they were still at risk for cancer recurrence, especially if they had aggressive tumors.
These patients were followed for 15 years. Surprisingly, after that time only 12 percent had died of cancer, whereas nearly 40 percent had died from some other cause. The lead investigators concluded that the likelihood of dying from prostate cancer is surprisingly small, especially for low-grade, slow-growing tumors. An active surveillance program may be more appropriate and less likely to result in side effects such as impotence or incontinence. When given the entire story, many men can live with prostate cancer without feelings of anxiety or depression.
[Journal of Clinical Oncology, July 27, 2009 and Cancer, September 1, 2009]
http://jco.ascopubs.org.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/cgi/content/abstract/JCO.2008.18.2501v1
