Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer

Active surveillance (AS), first described as a management strategy for favorable risk prostate cancer more than 20 years ago has now been widely adopted as the treatment of choice for these patients. AS surveillance initially consisted of regular PSA monitoring with periodic biopsies, with intervention indicated for rapid rise in PSA or upgrading. Novel tools in the AS pathway and a deeper understanding of the biology of prostate malignancies have allowed the approach to be considerably refined.