Prostate Cancer Active Surveillance

PROSTATE CANCER
ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE
WATCHFUL WAITING

JOHNS HOPKINS RESEARCHERS HAVE UNCOVERED SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE THAT SHOULD SAVE MEN WITH EARLY PROSTATE CANCERS FROM ACTING TOO SOON AND MAKING UNWISE CHOICES.

Acting in the best interests of patients, Johns Hopkins researchers have established, for the first time, solid evidence that for the thousands of men who discover that they have an early prostate cancer, taking time to make the right treatment decision is perfectly SAFE.

Here's what happened: When studies documented that few men were willing to take the risk of "expectant management" for their early prostate cancer-waiting and watching, to see how fast it progressed, rather than moving ahead with surgery or other available treatments that can also be risky. Johns Hopkins researchers stepped in to track the progress of men who had surgery immediately after diagnosis and compared it with the few men who made the informed decision to opt for a managed "watchful waiting" program to see what would happen. At least two years later, they found that the progress of their prostate cancer was no greater in those men who simply waited, and watched their PSA scores and results of their yearly biopsies.

The bottom line: At last, Johns Hopkins has given men who have early prostate cancer sound reason to defer costly, possibly dangerous surgery until it is clear they really need it. In the confusing tangle of information that goes into making decisions about this very common cancer, there is one clear thread to follow. Working closely with your doctor, you can take weeks or even months, rather than days, to assess your options before you choose surgery or other prostate cancer treatments which can have a significant impact on your quality of life.
Posted January 2008

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RATIONALE : MY EXPERIENCE : PSA 101: MY PSA : ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE :
OBJECTIFIED OBSERVATION

PROSTATE CANCER ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE WATCHFUL WAITING
JOHNS HOPKINS RESEARCHERS HAVE UNCOVERED SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE THAT SHOULD SAVE MEN WITH EARLY PROSTATE CANCERS FROM ACTING TOO SOON AND MAKING UNWISE CHOICES. Acting in the best interests of patients, Johns Hopkins researchers have established, for the first time, solid evidence that for the thousands of men who discover that they have an early prostate cancer, taking time to make the right treatment decision is perfectly SAFE. Here's what happened: When studies documented that few men were willing to take the risk of "expectant management" for their early prostate cancer-waiting and watching, to see how fast it progressed, rather than moving ahead with surgery or other available treatments that can also be risky. Johns Hopkins researchers stepped in to track the progress of men who had surgery immediately after diagnosis and compared it with the few men who made the informed decision to opt for a managed "watchful waiting" program to see what would happen. At least two years later, they found that the progress of their prostate cancer was no greater in those men who simply waited, and watched their PSA scores and results of their yearly biopsies. The bottom line: At last, Johns Hopkins has given men who have early prostate cancer sound reason to defer costly, possibly dangerous surgery until it is clear they really need it. In the confusing tangle of information that goes into making decisions about this very common cancer, there is one clear thread to follow. Working closely with your doctor, you can take weeks or even months, rather than days, to assess your options before you choose surgery or other prostate cancer treatments which can have a significant impact on your quality of life. Posted January 2008 BACK TO CLIPPINGS
RATIONALE : MY EXPERIENCE : PSA 101: MY PSA : ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE : OBJECTIFIED OBSERVATION