Prostate cancer not likely to be cause of death in men with low-risk disease

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

Relatively unaggressive prostate tumors are not likely to develop into metastatic disease or result in death, according to a study by researchers at the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins.

The researchers analyzed survival data of 1,298 men enrolled over the past 20 years in an active surveillance program Johns Hopkins. Of the participants, just two men died of prostate cancer, and three developed metastatic disease.

Urologists carefully selected which men were candidates for active surveillance and monitored the participants. Selection was based, in part, on Gleason scores determined by pathologic evaluation of prostate biopsy tissue.

In 1995, when the study began, the men underwent annual biopsy until age 75 years. Annual biopsies are no longer required among those men in the lowest risk group; however, when a biopsy is performed, MRI-guided technology is used and pathologists are asked to check biopsy tissue levels of proteins made by the PTEN gene, a biomarker for prostate cancer aggressiveness.

A benefit of using active surveillance for men who prostate cancer is very low or low-risk is reduction in rates of complications and costs of prostate cancer treatments.