Quality of life in active surveillance for early prostate cancer

Recently, the prevalence of the prostate-specific antigen screening test for early-stage prostate cancer has increased, but this has also resulted in an increase in insignificant cancers. The treatment outcome of early-stage prostate cancer is excellent, but such a radical treatment also leaves the patient with undesired adverse consequences. To resolve such problems, attention should be paid to active surveillance as a modern treatment option. This study aimed to systematically review the literature about quality of life in prostate cancer patients undergoing active surveillance. Evidence was acquired from PubMed databases in March 2019 using quality of life, prostate cancer, well-being, anxiety, depression, stress, outcomes, active surveillance, radiation therapy and radical prostatectomy as keywords. Five clinical active surveillance studies measured health-related quality of life and related psychological factors, and seven compared active surveillance with other treatments (radical therapy and hormone therapy). Active surveillance was superior to radical therapy for urinary and sexual function. Furthermore, most patients who opted for active surveillance showed lower anxiety and fear of progression, whereas health-related quality of life was maintained. Although active surveillance has the advantage of being non-invasive, its diagnosis and follow-up protocols are unreliable. Because such uncertainty can affect patients’ quality of life, utilization of imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging, and the development of new biomarkers are required.