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June 11, 2010
New Study Says Men with Low-Grade Prostate Cancer Delay Surgery
by Denene Brox
A new study says that men with lower risk prostate cancer are delaying the decision to have surgery. Researchers at Maryland's John Hopkinds Brady Urological Institute have found that men who delay surgery do not have worse outcomes than men who have surgery earlier. These are men who have small, low-grade tumors. Their doctors keep a close watch on the progress and prognosis of these patients in case a more serious or higher grade cancer arises -- in which case surgery may be needed.
The findings report that 15-20% of men who were initally low-grade and under doctor survelence will eventually progress to high-grade status and need surgery.
Of course, every patient should disucss all treatment options with their doctor. Here are some further resources to help:
- * Dr. Scherr's presentation, Probing Your Prostate Health: What Every Man Should Know (This info-packed PowerPoint presentation opens in a new window)
- * Our article on prostate cancer explains treatment options at various stages of the disease
- * Our post about the American Cancer Society's guidelines for prostate cancer screening and decision making
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