The active surveillance of prostate cancer, or the meticulous monitoring of this neoplasm performed with periodic diagnostic tests, has its pros (obviously) but also its cons (which is less obvious).
What do pros and cons consist of?
As for the advantages, active surveillance is useful because:
- It allows to identify in the bud a possible worsening of the situation.
- Preserves for as long as possible from the side effects and inconveniences that characterize, in general, medical-surgical treatments for prostate cancer treatment.
On the disadvantages, however, it must be pointed out that:
- One of the possible diagnostic tests for neoplasm monitoring is prostate biopsy . This method is a minimally invasive procedure, but it is still a surgical operation with its possible side effects.
- Tumor evolution could be sudden and take place between one control and another. This does not allow us to notice the change in time.
- During the monitoring period, the patient's health conditions could worsen for reasons other than prostate cancer - for example due to a heart disease - and make it inadvisable to intervene when it is indicated.
- The patient could "live" the situation badly and suffer from anxiety attacks and ongoing worries.
