Dramatic Increase in Active Surveillance Use for Prostate Cancer

Active surveillance use for low- and favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer more than tripled among U.S. veterans since 2005, rising from 27% of low-risk cases to substantially higher rates in a large cohort study. The findings reflect a major shift in clinical practice away from immediate radical treatment toward monitoring in appropriately selected patients. This trend aligns with evolving guidelines that increasingly endorse active surveillance as the preferred management strategy for indolent prostate cancer.