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Watchful Waiting in Advanced Prostate Cancer

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Prostate Cancer: A Comprehensive Perspective

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Abstract

Watchful waiting (WW) is described as a decision not to actively treat a patient with prostate cancer who instead is closely followed until disease progression when treatment is initiated. This is developed in recognition of the slow growth of many tumors, competing disease entities, and a realization of the side effects of many of the treatments of prostate cancer. In advanced prostate cancer (T3-4, N0-1, M0), very few studies have focus on WW as an option, so evidence-based medicine on this topic is sparse. Nevertheless, WW is actively practiced with its main objective as a management strategy to minimize morbidity from prostate cancer and/or its active treatment. In most instances, WW in advanced prostate cancer has been utilized in elderly patients with comorbidities where the balance toward no treatment determines a better quality of life without shortening the overall survival.

In this chapter, we outline WW and its background and attempt to better schematize the appropriate candidates for this management option highlighting the pros and cons of active and delayed treatment.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Austin Hospital, University of Melbourne, Studley Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3084, Australia

    Maria Carmen Mir M.D., FEBU

  2. Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, 2075 Bayview Avenue, MG408, Toronto, ON, M4N 3M5, Canada

    Nathan Lawrentschuk M.B.B.S., Ph.D., FRACS

  3. Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Nathan Lawrentschuk M.B.B.S., Ph.D., FRACS

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  1. Maria Carmen Mir M.D., FEBU
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  2. Nathan Lawrentschuk M.B.B.S., Ph.D., FRACS
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Correspondence to Maria Carmen Mir M.D., FEBU .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. New York Presbyterian Hospital, Brady Urologic Health Center, Weill Cornell Medical Center, East 68th Street 525, New York, 10021, New York, USA

    Ashutosh Tewari

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Mir, M.C., Lawrentschuk, N. (2013). Watchful Waiting in Advanced Prostate Cancer. In: Tewari, A. (eds) Prostate Cancer: A Comprehensive Perspective. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2864-9_72

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2864-9_72

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