Active Surveillance

Over the past 10 years, active surveillance has emerged as a primary management option for men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer. Given the morbidity associated with curative treatment, active surveillance maintains quality of life for men whose disease may never become symptomatic. In order to confidently and safely offer this approach to as many patients as possible, improved metrics are needed to fully assess risk. While pathologic and clinical variables currently help determine whether active surveillance is a reasonable approach, emerging biomarkers and imaging technologies demonstrate promise for more precise identification of ideal candidates.