Active surveillance for low-risk prostate cancer – in pursuit of a standardized protocol

INTRODUCTION: Active surveillance (AS) is a management option recommended by most guidelines for low risk clinically-localized prostate cancer (LR-CLPC). Data shows that AS is being increasingly adopted into clinical practice worldwide. Our aim was to review the up-to date guidelines and observational studies in regards to AS in LR-CLRPC to gain insight into principles of contemporary clinical practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Several guidelines on the management of low-risk prostate cancer were reviewed for evidence-based recommendations regarding the protocol of AS. We reviewed the available literature for most recent studies on AS in LR-CLPC. RESULTS: No uniform protocol of AS in LR-CLPC has been recommended up to date and available guidelines significantly differ in terms of protocol schedules and the role of particular tools in monitoring for disease progression. Nevertheless, recent studies on AS in LR-CLPC, in which various protocols were adopted, have demonstrated promising outcomes in regards to cancer-specific survival (99–100% at 5 years, 98.1–99.9% at 10 years, and 94.3–96% at 15 years), with high rates of men remaining within the protocols (23–39% at 10 years). CONCLUSIONS: This article is a call for focusing further research on development and recommending a precise and standardized, evidence-based protocol for AS in LR-CLPC.