Once upon a time, a diagnosis of breast or prostate cancer meant either lengthy and aggressive medical treatment or reconciling oneself to the idea that the cancer will grow and grow until it kills you. But might the idea that, if left untreated, these cancers will always kill you be nothing more than a fairy tale?
This month’s release of historically non-aggressive guidelines suggest, for some cancers anyway, it just might.
- The American Urologic Association (AUA) now recommends that certain men with prostate cancer should be offered the option of surveillance rather than treatment.
- The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) now recommends less frequent mammograms. The old recommendations were for an annual mammogram starting at age 40. The new recommendations are to start at age 50, and only get screened every other year.
A Kinder, Gentler Approach
The AUA has recognized that in treating prostate cancers that are unlikely to ever spread, doctors may have subjected hundreds of thousands of American men to unnecessary procedures and suffered needless complications, including loss of bladder control and sexual function. This is the rationale for less aggressive care. Nevertheless, the AUA worries that few people will take this safer option.
Cancer cell surrounded by immune system cells
The USPSTF has recognized that by treating tiny, early stage breast cancers so aggressively, doctors may also have unknowingly subjected hundreds of thousands of American women to unnecessary procedures, leading to needless complications including disfigurement and even death, all the while assuming they were saving people’s lives. (more…)
