Active surveillance of prostate cancer

Active surveillance is a management option for men with localized, low risk prostate cancer who could also choose immediate surgery or radiation but instead have their cancer monitored, with treatment given only if the disease shows signs of progressing. It differs from watchful waiting, which is reserved for men who are no longer candidates for curative treatment because of limited life expectancy, since active surveillance keeps that option open. The approach exists because many localized prostate cancers, especially in older men, grow slowly enough that aggressive treatment and its side effects, including urinary, sexual, and bowel dysfunction, can do more harm than the cancer itself, yet an estimated 100,000 American men who qualify for active surveillance each year still undergo unnecessary treatment.