Predictive models in diagnosing indolent cancer.

The early detection of prostate cancer has led to the increased incidence of tumors that are unlikely to become symptomatic during life: so-called indolent cancers. The ability to predict indolent prostate cancer is needed to avoid over treatment by unnecessary invasive therapies and to select men for active surveillance. For this report, the currently available nomograms that predict these low-risk tumors were reviewed. Many of these nomograms were based on clinical patient series, thus, their general application is restricted. Those nomograms based on screening series of the general population need further validation before generalized application is feasible. Cancer 2009;115(13 suppl):3100-6. (c) 2009 American Cancer Society.