Aggressive treatment of low grade prostate cancer is unnecessary

Aggressive treatment of localised low grade prostate cancer is inappropriate, a study has found. The long term study shows a very small risk of progression over 20 years of follow-up in patients treated conservatively (JAMA 2005;293: 2095-101.

Peter Albertsen and colleagues analysed data from the Connecticut tumour registry, supplemented by hospital record and histology review, for 767 men aged 55 to 74 years diagnosed as having clinically localised prostate cancer between 1 January 1971 …