Study Abstract: Cancer of the prostate (CAP) is the most common nondermatologic and the second most frequent cause of cancer deaths in men. No cure is currently possible for disseminated disease. Cancer confined to the prostate is believed to be curable, with the most frequently recommended therapy being surgical extirpation of the tumor with radical prostatectomy. However, despite increasing cancer detection and aggressive surgical treatment, population-based mortality rates from prostate cancer have not decreased, neither nationally nor in states with high rates of radical prostatectomy. Existing evidence does not demonstrate the superiority of this procedure compared to expectant management in the treatment of localized prostate cancer. Data from case series suggest that either treatment approach provides equivalent all-cause as well as prostate cancer specific mortality. The only randomized trial was limited by a small sample size but the results favored expectant management.