Active surveillance for cancer patients does not mean ignoring the disease, it means closely watching it rather than immediately treating it. While most of the time active surveillance is associated with prostate cancer, it can be associated with other cancers as well.
“Active surveillance — which consists of close monitoring of the cancer without initial surgery or other more intensive therapies — differs from watchful waiting, which primarily involves observation and symptom management in patients who are likely to die of other causes. Active surveillance has been an option for managing low-risk prostate cancer for many years, but it has only recently been put forth as a viable alternative for other low-risk cancers,” according to an article from the New England Journal of Medicine.
Take thyroid cancer for example. Most thyroid cancers are not aggressive, and many patients only need surgery to treat the disease. However, in certain circumstances – especially with small thyroid cancers – the disease is monitored, and treated if there are signs of progression, according to an article in Cure Today.
The same can be true for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to the CLL Society, where some patients can go years without needing treatment.
Dermatologists may also consider a watchful waiting approach for elderly patients with slow-growing basal cell cancers.
The Risk of Letting Cancer Progress: You Decide
While there are two types of wait-and-see approaches, in both cases you must acknowledge you have cancer.
And cancer is unpredictable.
With “watchful waiting” you may not treat the cancer but instead observe your body for symptoms like pain. And if you notice a change, you’d tell your doctor. But by then, the cancer could be more difficult to treat.
With “active surveillance” you still undergo routine testing like biopsies, imaging tests. That can mean invasive tests as you track the cancer.
Plus, even if you’re told you are in the low-risk category for the cancer spreading that’s no guarantee. Some cancers, which are initially said to be low risk, end up being more aggressive.
The experts at CyberKnife Center of Miami, a state-of-the-art cancer treatment center in South Florida that uses a noninvasive radiation treatment system called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to treat cancer, say you might want to consider a second opinion if your doctor suggests active surveillance for prostate cancer or any other cancer.
Treatment vs. Watchful Waiting for Prostate Cancer: What the Studies Say
A few studies have compared watchful waiting to surgery for early-stage prostate cancer. Some showed men who had surgery lived longer. Others found survival between the two groups was equal, according to the American Cancer Society.
When looking at active surveillance compared to treatment with radiation for prostate cancer, men who had radiation may not necessarily live longer, but the cancer doesn’t spread, and it may even stay in remission longer.
CyberKnife Treatment for Cancer
Dr. Mark Pomper, a board-certified radiation oncologist and medical director of CyberKnife Miami believes that cancer doesn’t always follow an expected path.
He encourages any patient thinking about a wait-and-see approach to get a second opinion — especially if the cancer can be treated with CyberKnife, which is noninvasive and delivers radiation directly to the tumor leaving the healthy surrounding tissue unharmed.
In general, when cancer is in its early stage, treatment is easier and long-term prognosis is better.
If you are diagnosed with cancer and are considering active surveillance, call CyberKnife Miami for a consultation or for a second opinion at 305-279-2900 or go to the CyberKnife Miami website for more information.