Prostate cancer surveillance was linked to more anxiety and better reported physical function
Men remaining on active surveillance reported a different mix of psychological and functional outcomes than those receiving treatment.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Men who stayed on active surveillance reported more prostate cancer-specific anxiety but better urinary, sexual and bowel outcomes than either treatment group. General anxiety was higher than among men treated initially, while its comparison with delayed treatment was not statistically significant. These observational results describe associations, so they cannot establish that management choices caused the differences.
Patients chose their initial management, and statistical adjustment cannot establish causation. The abstract gives anxiety scores without explaining their scale or the clinical importance of the differences.
What researchers found
Prostate cancer-specific anxiety
At 24 months, men remaining on active surveillance reported higher anxiety than men choosing treatment initially or switching later, after adjustment.
How the comparison was made
Researchers interviewed men before treatment and at follow-up, then compared those continuing surveillance, receiving initial treatment or switching later. Their models accounted for earlier anxiety alongside clinical and sociodemographic factors.
Why both outcomes matter
Psychological and physical outcomes pointed in different directions. The surveillance group reported better function alongside greater cancer-specific worry, so the findings cannot be summarized adequately by anxiety scores or physical function alone.
The original publication
Patient-reported Psychological and Prostate Cancer-specific Functional Outcomes Among Men With Low-risk Prostate Cancer Two Years After Diagnosis: The PREPARE Prospective Cohort Study.
Davis KM, Luta G, Hoffman RM et al.
Urology · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41819414
- Record checked
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