Watchful waiting for prostate cancer

A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology compared hazard ratios (HRs) for time to metastasis or death "between patients who deferred treatment and those who underwent immediate treatment within 1 year of diagnosis." This was a large prospective study that included 51,129 men. The authors concluded: "Older men and men with lesser cancer severity at diagnosis were more likely to remain untreated. PCa [prostate cancer] mortality did not differ between DT and active treatment patients." DT = deferred treatment (watchful waiting).