Active surveillance for prostate cancer: current status and future directions

Active surveillance is a treatment strategy to offer the PSA patients close monitoring by periodic PSA assessments, Digital rectal examination, imaging studies and needle biopsies. When the patient population is accurately selected, treatment by active surveillance is successful, it also avoids overtreatment and reduces treatment-associated comorbidities. Active surveillance is currently considered the treatment of choice for very low-grade and low-grade PCa and is being offered to some favorable intermediate risk PCa. For active surveillance to be successful, there should be a comprehensive surveillance plan, proper use of the clinical diagnostic tests and continuous patient commitment.