Expectant Management Underused On Veterans, Study Concludes

While some 220,000 American men are diagnosed annually with prostate cancer, not all will find major medical interventions are necessary for saving their lives. For many men, this slow-growing cancer poses only slight risks and can, in fact, be monitored rather than treated. This option, called expectant management or active surveillance, spares men the rigors of aggressive treatment while ensuring the cancer isn?t allowed to run rampant. Active surveillance is becoming a popular treatment option, but researchers are finding this mode of intervention is not being used in the veteran community as much as it might be indicated.

?Active surveillance is a viable option for men who slow-growing, low-risk forms of prostate cancer,? explains Dr. Gregory Echt, founder and lead surgeon at the Prostate Seed Institute. ?Essentially enabling the patient to coexist with cancer, this form of treatment spares men the potential side effects that are sometimes associated with treatment. Since many prostate cancers take years to develop into life-threatening conditions, this is a treatment that can help ensure a higher quality of life in some cases.?

Expectant management involves close monitoring of a man and his cancer. Routine tests are performed to make sure tumor growth or aggressiveness hasn?t changed. Men, however, do not have to undergo invasive surgery, radiation or other treatments as long as surveillance shows the tumor poses no immediate threat.

?While active surveillance is becoming a more accepted option in the general community, veterans with early-stage prostate cancer seem to be less likely to either be offered the option or choose it,? says Dr. Echt. ?The study, published in the journal Cancer, found that only 27 percent of veterans with early-stage prostate cancer under the age 55 received this treatment approach. Only 40 percent of men age 75 or older took the expectant management option.?

Men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer are urged to discuss all treatment options with their healthcare providers. The best treatment will depend on the particulars of the case in question.

About The Prostate Seed Institute
The Prostate Seed Institute is one of the country?s leading pioneers in prostate cancer treatment including prostate seed implementation, a fast and painless procedure that effectively treats prostate cancer in its earliest stages. With a team of oncology experts and a state-of-the-art facility, the Prostate Seed Institute provides prostate cancer patients with the most comprehensive treatment available. To see the Procedure Comparison Chart and learn more about the Prostate Seed InstituteCLICK HERE.

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