Quality of Life Not Affected by Active Surveillance of Prostate Cancer

(HealthDay News) — Men with low-risk prostate cancer report a good quality of life after choosing active surveillance as a treatment for their disease, according to research published in the August issue of The Journal of Urology.

The new study included 89 American men with low-risk prostate cancer and 420 men without the disease.

Over three years of follow-up, there were no significant differences between the two groups in health-related quality of life.

“Our results suggest that for at least three years, men selecting active surveillance do not experience a substantial psychological burden or clinically significant problems due to untreated disease,” lead investigator Christopher Porter, M.D., from the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, said in a journal news release. “The potential clinical impact of these results is significant and will allow clinicians to counsel patients effectively in regard to the potential health-related quality-of-life outcomes associated with active surveillance.”

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