"The treatment of men with early-stage prostate cancer has undergone a sea change. Five years ago, nearly all opted for surgery or radiation; now, nearly half are choosing no treatment at all.
The approach is called active surveillance. It means their cancers are left alone but regularly monitored to be sure they are not growing. Just 10 percent to 15 percent of early-stage prostate cancer patients were being treated by active surveillance several years ago. Now, national data from three independent sources consistently finds that 40 percent to 50 percent of them are making that choice."
See NY Times Article by Gina Kolata.
This is an important article. Another concept is that PSA tests are done unnecessarily which leads to to unnecessary biopsies which leads to diagnosis of early prostate cancer and then surgery or radiation. Patients travel down this slippery slope.