Watchful waiting in advanced prostate cancer

Abstract

Watchful waiting (WW) is described as a decision not to actively treat a patient with prostate cancer who instead is closely followed until disease progression when treatment is initiated. This is developed in recognition of the slow growth of many tumors, competing disease entities, and a realization of the side effects of many of the treatments of prostate cancer. In advanced prostate cancer (T3-4, N0-1, M0), very few studies have focus on WW as an option, so evidence-based medicine on this topic is sparse. Nevertheless, WW is actively practiced with its main objective as a management strategy to minimize morbidity from prostate cancer and/or its active treatment. In most instances, WW in ..