If I had been given the choice, I would have opted for active surveillance! Rest assured that if your prostate cancer has little risk of progressing and you are a good candidate, the active surveillance option will be offered to you. Indeed, in many cases, it is not necessary to treat this type of cancer. It is then a question of observing you very carefully, in order to closely monitor the evolution of the tumour.

Medically reviewed by Urologist-Surgeon Dr. Thierry Lebeau on 04/26/2022

It doesn’t mean you are on “holiday” though. Active surveillance involves actively monitoring the disease (as the name suggests) and treating it only if necessary.

But this option is not for all patients of course. If your cancer is at a higher risk of progression, your doctor will have no choice but to offer you treatment according to its type: is it aggressive? localized to the prostate? has it spread elsewhere?

The disease is most treatable when confined to the prostate. At this stage, surgery and radiation therapy are more likely to be curative and completely eliminate the cancer cells present. If left untreated, however, prostate cancer can progress in different ways.

Where does prostate cancer spread?

If left untreated, most prostate cancers that cannot be actively monitored will grow and spread outside the prostate to adjacent organs, or distantly to other sites in the body.

Once cancer has moved away from the prostate, it becomes much more difficult to treat and cannot be cured completely. Hormone therapy, along with chemotherapy, becomes the preferred option because it treats cancer throughout the body.

What you should know

Prostate cancer is a complicated disease that requires careful thought when deciding on the best treatment option for you.

Once the dust settles, the best cure for the anxiety of such a diagnosis is information. The more you know about the disease, treatment options, and side effects, the easier it will be for your urologist to guide you in your choice of treatment.

If you have been treated or are being treated for prostate cancer, take advantage of your medical appointments to share your concerns, symptoms or side effects with your doctor and healthcare team.

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Take the time to visit each of our pages on this website, as well as our YouTube channel, in order to get familiar with the disease, our expert lectures and webinars, our section on available resources, the support that is offered to you, our events and ways to get involved in advancing the cause.

You have questions or concerns? Don’t hesitate. You can chat with us or contact us at 1-855-899-2873 to discuss with one of our nurses specialized in uro-oncology. They are there to listen, support and answer your questions, as well as those of your family or loved ones. It’s simple and free, like all of our other services.

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Reorganizing your life after cancer

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Written by PROCURE. © All rights reserved – 2022