To assess whether men with a family history of prostate cancer are more likely to fail active surveillance because of recategorization of their tumors on subsequent surveillance biopsies.

Men enrolled in an institutional review board–approved active surveillance program were studied, and data on first- and/or second-degree family history of prostate cancer was collected. Analyses were performed to compare the frequency of family history with recategorization (higher grade or volume disease) on surveillance biopsies.

Men with and without family history were recategorized with higher grade disease at a similar frequency (30.9% vs 32.8%). There was no evidence that men with a family history with higher grade disease had more aggressive pathology at the time of radical prostatectomy than men without a family history. Although those with a family history tended to have a shorter time period to recategorization with more positive cores, the difference was not significant.

Our results suggest that men with a family history of prostate cancer are not at an increased risk for recategorization on active surveillance. Men with a family history of prostate cancer should not be deterred from considering active surveillance as a treatment option.