Prostate cancer treatment: Active surveillance and other options

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[Text on screen: The James
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
Prostate cancer treatment: Active surveillance and other options]

Ahmad Shabsigh, MD: One of the hardest things about treating prostate cancer is the reality that there are a lot of options.

[Text on screen:
Ahmad Shabsigh, MD
Urologic Oncologist
OSUCCC - James]

One option is to observe the cancer, and that can be either with active surveillance or watchful waiting. The difference between active surveillance and watchful waiting is mainly on the intensity of how much do we actually look for any signs of progression of the disease. 

So in active surveillance, we are actually closely monitoring the PSA. We usually repeat prostate biopsies, and we usually do also some imaging studies like MRI. We're looking for signs that the cancer is getting worse before the patient have any symptoms. 

In watchful waiting, sometimes we do PSA, but we are waiting for the patient to have complaints before we investigate. 

Another option is to do surgery and take the prostate out. 

Another option is to do radiation therapy and different techniques for that. 

And the last option is ablative therapy. So these are in general the big categories of treatment for prostate cancer.

[Text on screen: The James
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
For more information, visit:
go.osu.edu/prostatecancer]

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