Another Look at Trends in Managing Low-Risk Prostate Cancer

Using data from a U.S. urology patient registry, researchers recently documented substantially increasing use of active surveillance (rather than immediate definitive treatment) for men with low-risk prostate cancer, but considerable variability in use was found across urology practices (NEJM JW Gen Med Mar 15 2023 and JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:231439). Now, investigators have used the U.S. population-based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database to examine changes in use for active surveillance and watchful waiting (AS/WW) between 2010 and 2018.

During the study period, AS/WW increased from 16% to 60% (for low-risk cancer) and 8% to 22% (for favorable intermediate-risk cancer). Multivariable analyses showed that higher number of p…