Slowly Progressive Prostate Cancer Need To Be Watched Instead Of Treatment

Slowly Progressive Prostate Cancer Need To Be Watched Instead Of Treatment.
For patients with prostate cancer that has a bawdy imperil of progression, effectual surveillance, also known as "watchful waiting," may be a suitable treatment option, according to a large-scale study from Sweden. The publication of how (or whether) to treat localized prostate cancer is controversial because, especially for older men, the tumor may not ripen far enough to cause real trouble during their remaining expected lifespan. In those cases, deferring care until there are signs of disease progression may be the better option.

The researchers looked at almost 6900 patients from the National Prostate Cancer Registry Sweden, period 70 or younger, who had localized prostate cancer and a dejected or intermediate risk that the cancer would progress. From 1997 through December 2002, over 2000 patients were assigned to animated surveillance, close to 3400 underwent thorough prostatectomy (removal of the prostate and some surrounding tissue), and more than 1400 received radiation therapy.

After a median reinforcement of just over 8 years, 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 alliance and 10,9 percent in the dispersal therapy group. This suggests that patients with a shorter life expectancy were more often selected for sprightly surveillance rather than surgery or radiation therapy, the researchers said.

The patients who underwent surgery for prostate cancer had a abase risk of dying from prostate cancer than those in the active watch group. However, the difference in absolute risk of patients dying from prostate cancer was very matter-of-fact - only 1,2 percent after 10 years of follow-up.

The researchers concluded that, based on these findings, busy surveillance is the best strategy for many patients with low-risk prostate cancer. "With a 10-year prostate cancer-specific mortality of less than three percent for patients with low-risk prostate cancer on surveillance, this design appears to be proper for many of these men," wrote Dr Par Stattin, of Umea University, and colleagues recommended site. The lucubrate was published online June 18 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.