Doctors suggest new names for low-grade prostate cancer

By CARLA K. JOHNSON
AP Medical Writer

Some doctors say it’s time to rename low-grade prostate cancer to eliminate the alarming C-word. About 34,000 Americans die from prostate cancer annually, but most prostate cancers are harmless. Cancer cells develop in nearly all prostate glands as men age. The goal of a name change is reducing unnecessary surgery and radiation for the lowest risk patients. A paper published Monday is reviving a debate about dropping the word “cancer” when patients learn the results of these low-risk biopsy findings. Name changes have happened previously in other low-risk cancers.