NorthShore has the largest institutionally reviewed* and approved Prostate Cancer Active Surveillance program in the region.
Active Surveillance in prostate cancer refers to an increasingly accepted strategy for following men with relatively low-risk, early-stage prostate cancer. Active Surveillance offers men an alternative to surgery and radiation, and may spare them possible side effects of traditional therapy including urinary incontinence, rectal bleeding and sexual dysfunction, allowing them to maintain their current quality of life.
These men are monitored carefully with ongoing examinations, blood and urine tests, and periodic biopsies with MRI to monitor cancer progression. Extra blood and tissue samples are obtained for research purposes, and information on quality of life, including anxiety and sexual health, is also collected.
Most men who enroll in Active Surveillance will never require treatment, but if at any point a participant’s cancer has significantly progressed, patients will be advised to undergo treatment and will be provided comprehensive information on treatment options to cure their cancer. Our protocol allows those men who eventually need treatment to be managed promptly and effectively without compromising treatment outcomes.
The goal of our clinical trial is to develop better biological tests that will help identify and distinguish those men who should be treated soon after diagnosis from those who can be safely followed without treatment for many years.
For More Information
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 847.503.3000.
* Institutional Review Board