Many men with prostate cancer do not need immediate treatment, especially if they have low PSA scores or low-risk tumors that are unlikely to grow and spread, according to a multicenter study that suggests such men who undergo radical prostatectomy fare no better than those undergoing observation.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2012; 367:203-13), drew a fast response from the AUA, which pointed out that the study’s data show the benefit of surgery in high-risk patients.
via Study: Many men with prostate cancer can avoid early surgery – – UrologyTimes.
This was a summary of a recent study published in the NEJM. It reaffirms that active surveillance is a good option for men with early stage and less aggressive prostate cancer. At the 10 years, patients that had died were about equally likely to die of prostate cancer and other causes.
The important thing to keep in mind is that this does not apply to young men who may have 30-40 years to live.