Return to Health Library

• About Prostate Cancer
• Anatomy of the Prostate Gland
• Chemotherapy For Prostate Cancer
• For Family Members Coping With Prostate Cancer
• Herbal Remedies: Prostate Cancer
• Prostate Cancer Angiogenesis Inhibitors
• Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials
• Prostate Cancer Diagnostic and Evaluation Procedures
• Prostate Cancer Expectant Therapy
• Prostate Cancer Grading
• Prostate Cancer in African-American Men
• Prostate Cancer Psychosocial Factors
• Prostate Cancer Risk Factors
• Prostate Cancer Staging
• Prostate Cancer Statistics
• Prostate Cancer Surgery
• Prostate Cancer Symptoms
• Prostate Health Glossary
• Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Expectant Therapy

What is expectant therapy?

Expectant therapy is to "watch and wait" while carefully observing and monitoring the prostate cancer. This may be recommended by your physician if the prostate cancer is in a very early stage, especially in the cases of older men with small tumors that are:

• expected to grow very slowly.
• confined to one area of the prostate.
• not causing any symptoms or other medical problems.

Because prostate cancer cells often spread very slowly, many older men who have the disease may not need more extensive treatment. However, expectant therapy usually includes routine physician examinations, including digital rectal examinations (DRE) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests.

Request An
Appointmentmore

Herbert Irving Pavilion & Columbia University Eastside Office

(212) 305-0114

Allen Pavilion

(212) 932-4309

Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian

(212) 305-2129

Related News more

Evolution of Robotic Radical Prostatectomy

Dr. Ketan Badani and colleagues' article on the "Evolution of Robotic Radical Prostatectomy, an Assessment After 2766 Procedures," was published in the November 1, 2007 issue of Cancer, a journal of the American Cancer Society.

Related Specialties more

Urologic Cancers
Hormone Therapy and Chemotherapy for Prostate Cancer
Cryotherapy Treatment (Ablation) for Prostate Cancer
Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer
Prostate Cancer Surgery
Prostate Cancer Prevention
Screening and Diagnosis for Prostate Cancer
Risk Factors and Warning Signs of Prostate Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Cryotherapy Treatment (Ablation)
Laparoscopic Surgery
Robotic Prostatectomy for Prostate Cancer
About Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery