To assess preoperative parameters that may be predictive of pathologic stage T2a (pT2a) and pathologic Gleason score (pGS) ≤ 6 disease in low-risk prostate cancer patients considering active surveillance. A cohort of 1,495 men with low-risk prostate cancer between 1993 and 2009 was utilized. Preoperative assessment focused on patient age, race, diagnostic PSA level, clinical stage, diagnostic biopsy Gleason score, and prostate cancer laterality. Kaplan-Meier curves and a Cox regression model were used for analysis of PSA recurrence. Preoperative parameters were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression methods. Of 1,495 patients, 187 (12.5 %) were identified with pT2a and pGS ≤ 6 disease. Of the 187 men with pT2a and pGS ≤ 6 disease, only 6 (3.2 %) cases had PSA recurrence. Kaplan-Meier PSA recurrence-free survival curves identified a difference between prostate cancers with pT2a and pGS ≤ 6 and prostate cancers with >pT2a or pGS ≥ 7 disease (p = 0.002). Only biopsy tumor unilaterality (OR, 10.452; p ≤ 0.001) and low diagnostic PSA levels (OR, 0.887; p = 0.003) were independent predictors of prostate cancers with pT2a and pGS ≤ 6 disease on univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Biopsy tumor unilaterality and low diagnostic PSA levels are the independent predictors of pT2a and pGS ≤ 6 disease in low-risk prostate cancer patients. Unilateral cancer by prostate biopsy and low diagnostic PSA level may be the reference to improving the selection of appropriate candidates for active surveillance within a low-risk prostate cancer cohort.