Adjunct Professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia

Celestia S. Higano, MD

University of British Columbia

Vancouver, British Columbia

Celestia (Tia) S. Higano, MD, FACP, was formerly a Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Urology, Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Washington, and Clinical Division of Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia. She has been the Medical Director of the Prostate Cancer Supportive Care Program at the Vancouver Prostate Centre since 2013.

Dr. Higano received her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and completed her residency at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, MN. She was an oncology fellow under E. Donnall Thomas and Robert B. Livingston at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington.

Dr. Higano is an internationally renowned expert and clinical researcher focusing on prostate cancer. At UW, she led the prostate cancer clinical research group that participated in developing agents such as zoledronic acid, sipuleucel-T, enzalutamide, apalutamide, abiraterone, radium 223. Over these years, her clinical research has impacted the standards of care for patients with prostate cancer. She is a passionate educator and mentor and has guided many fellows and young faculty at the University of Washington and elsewhere who have chosen an academic career in GU Oncology.

Talks by Celestia S. Higano, MD

ADT Side Effects: Cardiovascular Disease

Posted by Celestia S. Higano, MD | Aug 2022

In a program supported by Verity Pharmaceuticals, E. David Crawford, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Grand Rounds in Urology and Professor of Urology at the University of California, San Diego, discusses reinforcing consistent testosterone suppression in ADT and the role of triptorelin with Scott B. Sellinger, MD, President of Advanced Urology Institute and a Partner at Southeastern Urological Center in Tallahassee, Florida, and Paul R. Sieber, MD, FACS, President of Keystone Urology Specialists in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Cardiovascular & Metabolic Risk Profiles of Hormonal Agents for Managing Advanced Prostate Cancer

Posted by Celestia S. Higano, MD | Mar 2021

Celestia S. Higano, MD, FACP, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia and Medical Director of the Prostate Cancer Supportive Care Program at the Vancouver Prostate Centre, reviews her 2020 paper outlining the cardiovascular risks associated with ADT and new treatments for prostate cancer, highlighting its increasing relevance in the wake of recent approvals for drugs like relugolix. She explains that there is controversy in the literature regarding whether ADT increases cardiovascular risks, but suggests that patients who are already at risk of cardiovascular disease may see more adverse cardiovascular effects on ADT. Phase 3 trials combining ADT with drugs like enzalutamide, apalutamide, and abiraterone, as well as other second-generation antiandrogens, demonstrate greater cardiovascular risk to patients on a combination as opposed to on ADT alone. Dr. Higano emphasizes that urologists must discuss risk factors for cardiovascular disease with their patients before prescribing these treatments, and she recommends following the Vanderbilt Cardiooncology Group’s ABCDE checklist with them.

HERO Phase 3 Trial: Relugolix vs. Leuprolide Acetate for Advanced Prostate Cancer

Posted by Celestia S. Higano, MD | Jun 2020

Neal D. Shore, MD, FACS, Medical Director for the Carolina Urologic Research Center, presents the key aspects of the HERO phase 3 trial. The Hero trial looked at Relugolix, an oral GnRH receptor antagonist, versus Leuprolide Acetate for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Following this in an interview with Celestia S. Higano, MD, section editor of the ADT Next Generation Learning Center on Grand Rounds in Urology, about the study’s findings, and the implications that this exciting new development in prostate cancer treatment could have in the field of urology.