Watchful Waiting - Watchful Waiting (Expectant Therapy)

For some patients with prostate cancer, the recommended treatment may simply be to "watch and wait." This means that you won't receive any immediate therapy, but there may be intervention if the cancer does progress. Your doctor will monitor the cancer by performing routine digital rectal examination (DRE) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests. Watchful waiting may be used when prostate cancer is diagnosed later in life (age 70 or older), at a very early disease stage, and is not expected to progress quickly. Watchful waiting may also be used in patients who are not expected to tolerate therapy and suffer from other serious health conditions.