St. John’s basketball coach Steve Lavin needs to take a different method in treating his prostate cancer, but doesn’t expect it to interfere with the upcoming season.

The 47-year-old, diagnosed with the disease last September, waited until April to announce his illness. He said then he was told he could delay treatment until after last basketball season, his first at St. John’s.

“After the most recent consultation, my doctors feel at this point that the active surveillance approach is off the table,” Lavin said told the media yesterday at the Dribble for the Cure event on campus to support pediatric cancer research.