Private MD News

Prostate cancer may not require immediate surgery

Category: Prostate

After a man receives a positive PSA test, he has many options for dealing with his prostate cancer. Some doctors will recommend aggressive treatments right away, while others may prefer a "wait and see" strategy.

The latter approach may be just as effective, as new research has shown that men who avoid surgery to remove their prostate following a positive PSA test have similar survival rates compared to those who opt for more invasive treatments.

Prostate cancer is often detected in its early stages, but many times does not develop beyond a low-grade, harmless state. Some experts feel that a positive PSA test should not automatically result in surgery, rather men should be monitored for prostate health.

The study was conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins University. The team looked at pathology results from 116 men who were recommended to have their prostate removed but opted for surveillance, and 348 men who followed through with the surgery. They found that men in both groups had similar survival rates.

"This means that most tumors are not likely to worsen during the period of active surveillance," said Bruce Trock, who led the investigation.