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Cancer Care

 

 

Observation

Not every patient wants or needs surgery or radiation. For many men, especially those whose prostate cancer was detected early, those who are more advanced in age or have other serious health problems, or those whose cancer is local to prostate only and for whom urination isn't a problem, doing nothing is a viable option to more radical treatments.

Contact Us
  • Keene, NH
    Phone: (603) 354-5400
  • Lebanon, NH (DHMC)
    Phone: (603) 650-5091
    Fax: (603) 650-4985
  • Manchester, NH
    Phone: (603) 629-1828
  • Nashua, NH
    Phone: (603) 577-4170
  • St. Johnsbury, VT
    Phone: (802) 473-4100
  • Cancer Help Line
    Toll-Free
    Phone: (800) 639-6918

Many men live for more than 20 years with prostate cancer. Observation is a recognized therapy option for prostate cancer, and is often discussed in two different scenarios:

  1. Watchful Waiting  - A more passive approach that consists of occasional PSA testing and digital rectal exams, usually as part of a yearly checkup
  2. Active Surveillance - A more aggressive monitoring approach consisting of  more frequent PSA and digital rectal exams, and repeated biopsies at 6 month or yearly intervals

Both therapies are meant to monitor the patient's situation. If tests indicate it, additional tests or treatments may be required if, over time, the PSA trends upward radically, or if a biopsy indicates tumor growth.