Therapy options for patients with low-risk prostate cancer. PREFERE trial

The optimal therapy strategy of low-risk prostate cancer is still unknown and remains controversial in the literature. Presentation and comparison of the different treatment modalities of low risk prostate cancer and introduction of the PREFERE trial. This article is based on a semi-structured literature search in PubMed for prostate cancer with emphasis on low-risk prostate cancer. Currently, four different treatment modalities are available for the treatment of low-risk prostate cancer: active surveillance, radical prostatectomy, radiotherapy and permanent seed implant brachytherapy. Evidence from currently available clinical trials is not sufficient to define the optimal treatment strategy for low-risk prostate cancer with high levels of evidence. The PREFERE trial is a prospective randomized non-inferiority trial to investigate all four available treament modalities with cancer-specific survival being the primary endpoint. Within the trial, participants are able to select a maximum of two of the four therapy options prior to randomization. The primary endpoint of the trial is prostate cancer-specific survival. The PREFERE trial provides the opportunity to investigate the different treatment modalities within a preference-based, randomized non-inferiority trial to improve the evidence for the treatment of low and early intermediate-risk prostate cancer.