Hello Glyn and thank you for your post,

I am sorry to learn of your situation. I think the monitoring you are referring to, is active surveillance, I apologise if I have got this wrong.

I can understand monitoring the cancer rather than treating it straight away can feel strange and difficult to understand. But prostate cancer that is found just within the prostate gland (localised) often grows slowly which means there may be a low risk of spreading.  Research has shown that for some men the cancer may never cause any problems or affect how long a person may live for.

All cancer treatments have side effects and the aim of monitoring (active surveillance) is to avoid any unnecessary treatment. It would involve you having regular tests to check on the cancer and if the tests show that the cancer had started growing then you would begin treatment. The aim would still be to cure the cancer with either surgery or radiotherapy. Here is more detailed information on our website. 

I wondered if you have a nurse specialist (CNS) who could talk through any concerns you may have. Hopefully, you will find that other users of the forum will share their experiences, and you may also find it helpful to post on our newly diagnosed section.

Please feel free to contact us again if you need any further information or support. You also may find it more helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Take care Glyn,

All the best

Jemma