Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in men in Brazil. It is estimated that about 80% of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer have localized disease, and many of these cases have low-risk cancer.
Active surveillance(AS) is a treatment strategy mainly for low risk prostate cancer to avoid radical treatment through periodic assessments (PSA, digital rectal exam and Prostatic Biopsies). During this follow-up, the patient will be treated only when necessary and with curative intent. Several series of institutional cohorts with long-term follow-up have demonstrated that the AS strategy in selected patients is a safe alternative to immediate treatment, with comparable survival.
The active surveillance strategy has never been evaluated in the Brazilian population. The main outcomes from AS derive from international cohorts. The Brazilian population is extremely diverse, so validation in this cohort is relevant. The current study aim to form a national multicentric prospective cohort of patients with low-risk prostate cancer following an AS protocol in the the public health system to evaluate and validate this strategy in Brazil.
