Watchful waiting benefits early-stage cancer

(ABC News) UPDATED 2009-09-17

London researchers say that patients who have early-stage prostate cancer benefit from watchful waiting, rather than aggressive treatment. The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the death rate for men diagnosed with prostate cancer dropped 60 percent from 1992 to 2002, when compared to men diagnosed in the 1970s and 1980s. Experts say the key could be that those years saw the introduction of the PSA test. But many experts believe that early cancer is still treated too aggressively, and than men may benefit more from having their doctors monitor their care, rather than getting possibly harmful treatment. Read full story >

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