Every cancer diagnosis comes with a range of reactions, including the natural inclination to act as quickly as possible to choose and begin treatment.
However, a new study has revealed that, in the case of prostate cancer, over 15 years, outcomes were surprisingly similar for two treatments—prostatectomy and radiotherapy—and one nontreatment, called active monitoring. The study’s authors found that prostate cancer-specific mortality was relatively low regardless of the approach taken: treatment or nontreatment.
The Clinical Trial
The new findings are based on 15-year outcomes of the Prostate Testing for Cancer and Treatment (ProtecT) clinical trial sponsored by the University of Oxford. This long-term trial was initiated in 2001 and will continue until 2027….