Active surveillance as a practical strategy to differentiate lethal and non-lethal prostate cancer subtypes

作     者：Yoshiyuki Kakehi 

作者机构：Department of Urology Kagawa University Faculty of Medicine Kagawa 761-0793 Japan 1 

出 版 物：《Asian Journal of Andrology》 (亚洲男性学杂志（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2012年第14卷第3期

页      面：361-364,I0004页

核心收录：

学科分类：10[医学] 

基　　金：Japan Society for the Promotion of Science  JSPS  (24390369) 

主　　题：active surveillance diagnosis low risk prostate cancer 

摘      要：Differentiation between lethal and non-lethal prostate cancer subtypes has become a very important issue in avoiding excessive treatment in an era when prostate-specific antigen （PSA） screening has reduced the rate of prostate cancer deaths by more than 20%. However, it is difficult to determine the patients who may or may not benefit from immediate treatment interventions at the time of the initial diagnosis. The selection of candidate patients who can postpone immediate treatment and undergo follow-ups with a specific surveillance program, or ＇active surveillance,＇ is a practical way to minimize overtreatment. In this review, the benefits and risks of active surveillance are discussed. Future perspectives, including imaging and new biomarkers for improving the outcomes of active surveillance programs, are also discussed.