Dr. Julio Pow-Sang on Options for Low-and Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer

Julio Pow-Sang, MD, chair of Urological Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center, discusses the grey zone between low and intermediate risk in prostate cancer.

There is an overlap between low and intermediate-risk classification. At present, one of the main options for low-risk patients is to do active surveillance, says Pow-Sang.

Testing to determine low-risk was very rudimentary, he says. There was an approximately 30% chance that, with further testing, the patient was actually determined to be intermediate-risk. That was significant because intermediate-risk patients are recommended treatment, while low-risk patients are recommended active surveillance.

Newer tests and a better understanding of the behavior of the cancer have helped determine who those men are versus the ones who might need treatment, says Pow-Sang.