Is Watchful Waiting an Option for Me?

• In general, watchful waiting or expectant management -- monitoring the cancer but not undergoing more aggressive treatment -- is reserved for a minority of patients with small cancers, a low Gleason score and a low PSA, and for patients who have a short life expectancy (under five years). Patients who decide to wait and see have determined that the pros of not being treated outweigh the cons.
  
  
• A repeat biopsy within one year may be performed, then periodically thereafter to make sure the tumor was not "under staged." Sometimes, subsequent biopsies may show more tumor or a higher Gleason score than initially found, and the patient may then decide to have more aggressive treatment.
  
  
• A PSA blood test and digital rectal exam should be performed every six months.

Read about the other two options:

• Radiation Treatment
  
• Surgery