Dear Editor:

The Maine Coalition to Fight Prostate Cancer has  been a strong advocate for prostate cancer screening for most men. It is your body and you have a right to know what your health situation is.  But, MCFPC is also very concerned about the level of over-treatment that occurs once a diagnosis of prostate cancer has been made. 

Active surveillance is an effective way to monitor low grade prostate cancer while at the same time avoiding or postponing side effects of treatment such as erectile dysfunction or urinary incontinence. 

Therefore, along with many other knowledgeable organizations, we have supported an emphasis on Active Surveillance and have long advocated that men with low risk cancer talk to their physicians and consider this as an option.

MCFPC recently developed an information card that answers the questions: Active Surveillance: What is it? Is it right for me?

To receive a hard copy of this card, please email info@mcfpc.org and we will be happy to mail the information to you, or simply click on the Active Surveillance link on our website and download the facts at www.mcfpc.org.

Sandy Jaeger
Member of the Board
Maine Coalition to Fight Prostate Cancer