Men's Health
Can weight loss slow prostate cancer?
For men following active surveillance, maintaining a healthy weight may improve their prognosis.
- Reviewed by Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
You've had a biopsy and have been diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer, defined as a tumor that is confined to the prostate gland and unlikely to grow or spread. You decide to follow active surveillance, a protocol in which you regularly follow up with your doctor for routine PSA tests, prostate biopsies, and possibly MRI scans. If at some point it looks like the cancer has progressed, then you can consider treatment (radiation or surgery).
For some men, this wait-and-see period lasts for years. But can you do anything to help slow your cancer's growth and delay treatment for as long as possible? Your bathroom scale might give you the answer.
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About the Author
Matthew Solan, Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
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