Active Surveillance

by John Delach

I am glad to be back and I look forward to sending you my weekly blog on Wednesdays beginning today. However, I will miss next week, “On the Outside Looking in” will return on September 20th.

A decent part of the summer was consumed by my prostate culminating in a diagnosis and a recommendation for treatment in late August by my Urologist, Dr. L.  He confirmed that my biopsy did reveal that I do have cancer, but it appears to be a minor and stable diagnosis. Given that and my age, 79, he recommended that we follow the treatment of watch and wait or as Dr. L put it, “Active Surveillance.”

Active Surveillance, indeed, I wonder where on earth doctors come with these terms? It seems to me that the doc who coined this term probably watches too many cop-shows like Blue Bloods, Chicago PD and Law and Order. 

 Active Surveillance calls for PSA tests every six months and possibly an MRI once a year. This sure beats any alternative treatments so Mary Ann and I signed on for it in a New York minute.

See you again on September 20. Have a great autumn and Go Giants.