Abhinav Sidana, MD, MPH

University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences

Chicago, IL

Abhinav Sidana, MD, MPH, is the Director of Prostate Cancer Focal Therapy, Director of GU Clinical Trials Urology Section, and Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences in Chicago, IL. Dr. Sidana earned his MD in 2007 from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. Following this, he pursued a post-doctoral Fellowship in Urology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, during which he focused on translational projects relating to cancer immunotherapy and was instrumental in translating the preclinical work for a clinical trial studying cryo-immunotherapy. Subsequently, he completed his urology residency at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and a urologic oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Sidana’s current clinical practice includes both surgical and non-operative management of prostate, kidney, ureteral, testicular, and bladder cancers. His research interests include functional prostate imaging, image-guided and focal treatments for prostate cancer, and clinical trials on novel treatments for urologic cancers.

Disclosures:

Talks by Abhinav Sidana, MD, MPH

The Who and Why of Focal Therapies

Posted by Abhinav Sidana, MD, MPH | Mar 2024

Abhinav Sidana, MD, MPH, discusses the selection processes, objectives, and data supporting the use of focal therapy to treat prostate cancer. He begins with an overview of the state of focal therapy, and how it can be used to provide more personalized prostate cancer treatment to patients.

Dr. Sidana then compares the weaknesses of focal therapy to those of radical surgery and surveillance. He notes that while focal therapy has been criticized for its shortcomings in addressing “invisible” and multifocal cancers, radical surgery has permanent negative effects on patient QOL and that many patients on active surveillance drop out after a certain length of time.

Dr. Sidana then addresses recent advances in focal therapy which can partially mitigate some of the shortcomings of focal therapy. He focuses on advancements in MRI accuracy and specificity which makes treating multifocal and previously invisible clinically significant cancers using focal therapy effective.

Dr. Sidana concludes by outlining strategies for patient selection for focal therapy. He presents examples of ideal patient and disease characteristics for focal therapy treatment and lists relevant contraindications.

Selection and Outcomes of Image-Guided, Minimally-Invasive Treatment

Posted by Abhinav Sidana, MD, MPH | Feb 2024

Abhinav Sidana, MD, MPH, aims to identify key selection criteria for image guided minimally invasive treatments, also known as focal therapy, for prostate cancer. Dr. Sidana begins by noting that the use of focal therapy for prostate cancer treatment has become widespread in the past decade.

Dr. Sidana then addresses current EAU and NCCN guidelines for focal therapy. He highlights the lack of guidelines specific to focal therapy, and notes that the medical community has been trying to address this deficiency in recent years.

Dr. Sidana concludes by summarizing current best-practices regarding appropriate imaging modalities for screening, appropriate biopsy strategies, and optimal characteristics for determining focal therapy candidacy. He highlights the importance of the correct selection of energy modality in treating prostate cancer, noting that not every surgeon will have access to all the available energy modalities.

Selecting Candidates for Focal Therapy

Posted by Abhinav Sidana, MD, MPH | Apr 2023

Abhinav Sidana, MD, discusses candidate selection for focal therapy, including imaging/biopsy strategies and disease/patient characteristics.

Rationale for Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Posted by Abhinav Sidana, MD, MPH | Mar 2021

Abhinav Sidana, MD, Urologic Surgeon at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, makes a case for the adoption of focal therapy for patients with prostate cancer as an alternative to radical treatment or active surveillance. To show how incorporating focal therapy into the treatment paradigm could help personalize care, Dr. Sidana highlights three points: the shortcomings of a treatment strategy that involves only dichotomous options; the increasing need for treatment tailored to the biology of prostate cancer; and how the advent of visible prostate cancer due to next-generation imaging has altered treatment approaches. Following this, Dr. Sidana takes questions from E. David Crawford, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Grand Rounds in Urology, about related topics, including the role of micro-ultrasound in the disease space and the patient followup process.