For patients with low risk prostate cancer, Active Surveillance has become an accepted and at times preferred treatment strategy. Patients generally do well and many are able to avoid surgery and radiation long term. It is natural then to consider Active Surveillance for patients with intermediate risk prostate cancer. However, a recent study demonstrates that watching the cancer in these patients comes with significantly higher risk. “Patients with intermediate-risk disease had a 3.75 times higher chance of dying of prostate cancer compared to patients with low-risk disease (11.5% vs 3.7% at 15 years, respectively).” Patients with intermediate risk cancer must be informed that they are at significantly higher risk of death if no intervention is performed, compared to low risk patients.
2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium