What is Active Surveillance?
Prostate Cancer
What is Active Surveillance?
Active surveillance is a watch and wait approach for men who have low-risk prostate cancer, meaning you have a small number of cancer cells found in the biopsy, a low PSA, and a low-grade cancer.
With low-risk prostate cancer, your risk of cancer getting out of the prostate and spreading to other parts of the body is “really, really low,” explains Dr. Stephen Freedland, a urologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, “so anything we do is going to be overtreatment.” If you do opt for active surveillance, you’ll regularly need a PSA test, rectal exam, and high-quality imaging tests, which can identify minuscule yet important changes.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Active surveillance is a watch and wait approach for men who have low-risk prostate cancer, meaning you have a small number of cancer cells found in the biopsy, a low PSA, and a low-grade cancer.
With low-risk prostate cancer, your risk of cancer getting out of the prostate and spreading to other parts of the body is “really, really low,” explains Dr. Stephen Freedland, a urologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, “so anything we do is going to be overtreatment.” If you do opt for active surveillance, you’ll regularly need a PSA test, rectal exam, and high-quality imaging tests, which can identify minuscule yet important changes.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Treatment: When to Start?
Active surveillance for prostate cancer is a very specific protocol with requirements and guidelines. While this is not ideal for everyone, it may work for certain patients and spare them the side effects of treatment.
Treatment: Watching and Waiting
Active surveillance for prostate cancer is a very specific protocol with requirements and guidelines. While this is not ideal for everyone, it may work for certain patients and spare them the side effects of treatment.
Before you decide on a surgeon or a surgical technique for prostate cancer, you should understand the options and some key questions to ask your surgeon.
Treatment: Considering Surgery
Before you decide on a surgeon or a surgical technique for prostate cancer, you should understand the options and some key questions to ask your surgeon.