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Definition |
Although active surveillance (AS) and watchful waiting (WW) avoids treatment-related side effects, they carry an increased risk of psychological distress, which significantly affects HRQoL. Risk factors for not doing well on AS include: patient perception that the physician is making most of the decisions, poor physical health,high anxiety, high PSA, lack of a partner, mental impairment, recent diagnosis of PCa, and lower number of core samples taken at diagnostic biopsy. These factors are significantly associated with low HRQoL. Anxiety and distress remained low during the first 9 months of AS.
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