Active Surveillance of Prostate Cancer
One of the limitations of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, screening, random prostate biopsy without image guidance, and MRI-guided targeted biopsy is that doctors may detect some small or slow-growing prostate cancers that are not likely to cause serious consequences.
When Active Surveillance Is Recommended
Doctors at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center have the experience and technology to identify these lower-risk tumors. Doctors may recommend active surveillance of a low risk tumor instead of treating it with interventions including surgery or radiation therapy, particularly in older men.
By offering personalized care that is supported by evidence-based medicine, our doctors can determine which men would benefit from active surveillance of slow-growing prostate cancers.
Active surveillance means deferring, and possibly avoiding, treatment of a slow-growing prostate cancer. This helps men avoid the potential side effects of treatment, such as urinary incontinence, rectal injury, bladder dysfunction, and loss of erectile function. During active surveillance, doctors carefully follow any suspected progression of prostate cancer in men who have tested positive for the disease by biopsy.
Currently, there are no widely accepted standards for following men enrolled in an active surveillance program. NYU Langone doctors, with support from the National Institutes of Health, are working to develop evidence-based methods for active surveillance.
Our doctors have received funding from the National Institutes of Health to develop evidence-based active surveillance techniques for prostate cancer.
How Active Surveillance Works
For men with low-risk disease who choose active surveillance for prostate cancer, our doctors typically conduct follow-up PSA tests every six months and follow-up MRI and biopsies at intervals determined for each individual. Doctors move onto treatment, such as surgery, radiation therapy, or focal ablation, only if there is evidence that the cancer is progressing.
It is not possible to guarantee that any cancer is truly low-risk, or not likely to spread. You should discuss with your doctor whether active surveillance is right for you.
Your doctor may consider beginning treatment if there is a significant increase in your PSA level, a change in your digital rectal exam or MRI results, or if a prostate biopsy shows that the cancer has become more aggressive or grows quickly.
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