Watchful waiting or deferred treatment, means taking no immediate action to treat the cancer.

Your doctor may suggest that the most appropriate option is careful observation of your condition. Treatment is only started when either symptoms appear or worsen, or there is a change in your condition.

Watchful waiting is particularly suited for older men who have small, localised tumours, which have been detected early and which have little chance of spreading outside the prostate. In addition, it may be suitable for those men who suffer with other diseases, which may complicate treatment.

The main advantage of this approach is that any possible side-effects related to treatment e.g. flushes or impotence are avoided. It therefore balances the potential impact of treatment on a patients quality of life against the symptoms caused by the disease itself

However, it may decrease the chance of controlling the cancer before it spreads or postpone treatment to an age when it may be tolerated less well.

Alternatively, active surveillance involves close monitoring of the patient using a range of diagnostic methods e.g. DRE, PSA, biopsies, to identify those patients who are likely to benefit from early treatment. This may include surgery, radiation, or hormonal therapy. For details of these and other treatment options, please refer to the following sections.