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In debates about approaches to prostate cancer, one central issue is that of immediate versus deferred treatment with active monitoring (JW Oncol Hematol Oct 13 2009). In a national cohort study, investigators followed about 3300 men with prostate cancer for a median of 8 years. About 90% opted for early treatment; the rest initially deferred treatment. Compared with the early-treatment patients, the 342 deferred-treatment patients were older (mean ages, 73 vs. 68), received diagnoses at earlier clinical stages (63% vs. 51% at T1), and had lower Gleason scores (29% vs. 20% with scores <6).
Roughly half of those who initially deferred treatment eventually chose to be treated at a mean of about 4 years after diagnosis; these patients were youn…