Fewer US men are diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer, and more of them now choose surveillance over treatment
An analysis of United States data reveals a broad shift away from overtreatment of low-risk prostate cancer. The analysis published in CANCER indicates a shift toward surveillance in response to concerns of overdiagnosis and overtreatment that have hindered screening in the recent past.
A recent analysis of U.S. data suggests a significant shift away from overtreatment of low-risk prostate cancer, with more patients now opting for surveillance over treatment. The study, published in CANCER, examined data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER), the Veterans Affairs health system, and the Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium between 2010 and 2025.
The research found that the proportion of low-risk prostate cancer cases diagnosed has decreased, while the number of patients avoiding treatment has increased. In SEER, the percentage of low-risk prostate cancer at diagnosis fell from 28.8% to 24.0%, while in the VA, it dropped from 32.3% to 21.9%. Among patients diagnosed with low-risk cancer, the rate of avoiding treatment rose from 33.6% to 83.4% in SEER and from 51.6% to 96.3% in the VA.
This shift reflects broader changes in how prostate cancer is diagnosed and managed in the United States, with a moderate decline in the amount of low-risk prostate cancer being diagnosed and most low-risk cases being appropriately observed and not treated.
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