E. David Crawford, MD

Editor-in-Chief, Emeritus
Grand Rounds in Urology
Jack A. Vickers Director of Prostate Research
Professor of Urology
University of California, San Diego

San Diego, California

Researcher-physician E. David Crawford, MD, Jack A. Vickers Director of Prostate Research and Professor of Urology at the University of California, San Diego, has devoted his career in medicine to educating the public about men's health issues and finding effective techniques and procedures to address prostate cancer, the most common malignancy affecting men in the United States.

Dr. Crawford received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati and his postgraduate training included an internship and residency in urology at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati. He subsequently completed a genitourinary cancer fellowship at the University of California Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Dr. Crawford is an internationally recognized expert in benign prostate hypertrophy, urologic cancers, and in particular, prostate cancer. He has conducted research in the treatment of advanced bladder cancer, metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate, hormone-refractory prostate cancer, and other areas of urological infections and malignancies. He has authored or coauthored over 810 scientific articles, has published seven textbooks, authored over 60 book chapters, and provided more than 2,200 educational talks for patients and physicians.

In an effort to raise public awareness about prostate health, Crawford in 1989 founded the Prostate Conditions Education Council (PCEC). The non-profit organization is comprised of a consortium of leading physicians, health educators, scientists, and men's health advocates. PCEC's advocacy for free or low-cost prostate screening has affected the lives of millions of American men. He currently chairs the PCEC.

Crawford is an active member of many national and international organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Urological Association (AUA), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Within the AUA, he has been a member of the Committee to Study Urologic Research Funding and the prostate cancer clinical trials subcommittee. Crawford served on the board of governors, the scientific advisory board of the Southwest Oncology Group, and was chairman of the Genitourinary Cancer Committee for 27 years. This group is the largest clinical trials group in the world.

Crawford's involvement in the national prostate cancer arena has been widely recognized. He has received many honors and awards, including the CAP Cure Annual Award for Scientific Presentation in 1999 In 1997, he was presented with a 'Freddie Award" at the AMA International Health and Medical Film Competition for the program, ITV: The Cutting Edge Medical Report (Prostate Cancer: Understanding, Diagnosing, and Defeating), which Crawford hosted with special guest, retired General Norman Schwarzkopf.

Crawford again won a prestigious 'Freddie Award" 5 years ago... He is a member of Best Doctors of America and was named Healthcare Provider of the Year in the Denver Metro area by the Denver Business Journal.

He has been recognized as one of the Best Doctors of America for the past two decades and is recognized as one of the top 20 urologists in the country, for men, by Men’s Health Magazine. In 2018 he received the honor of being named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year from the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. In May of 2019, he received the Presidential citation from the American Urological Association recognizing for his “tireless role in genitourinary cancer research that has benefited countless urologic cancer patients.” He accepted the position of Editor in Chief of Grand Rounds in Urology in June of 2019. In 2021, he was the recipient of the Merle Stringer, M.D. annual award for excellence in medicine by the Florida State Medical Association.

Talks by E. David Crawford, MD

Optilume® BPH Catheter System: Optilume® BPH Product and Clinical Data Overview

Posted by E. David Crawford, MD, Dean S. Elterman, MD, MSC, FRCSC and Steven A. Kaplan, MD | Jun 2024

E. David Crawford, MD, sits down with Dean S. Elterman, MD, MSC, FRCSC, and Stephen Kaplan, MD, to discuss the evolution of BPH treatment and the Optilume® BPH Catheter System, a novel minimally-invasive surgical therapy (MIST). This is the first in a series supported by Laborie.

Dr. Elterman begins with an overview of the Optilume® BPH Drug Coated Balloon Catheter. He presents the components of the system and their utility. He presents a demonstration of the system in action.

Dr. Kaplan presents data from the clinical investigations of the effectiveness of the Optilume® BPH Catheter System. He provides an overview of the results from the EVEREST study and the landmark PINNACLE trial, which was published in the September 2023 issue of the Journal of Urology. He notes that the major benefits of the treatment include significant flow rate improvement despite the lack of tissue removal and low surgical retreatment rates.

PET Tumor Board: Case #4

Posted by E. David Crawford, MD, Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, Phillip J. Koo, MD and Wayne G. Brisbane, MD | Jun 2024

In this discussion, E. David Crawford, MD, Professor of Urology and Jack A. Vickers Director of Prostate Research at the University of California, San Diego, leads a discussion of the case study of a healthy 80-year-old male with a history of BPH presenting with a rapid rise of PSA from a PSA of 3-4 ng/ml to 9.7 ng/ml and increased urgency and perception of difficulty fully voiding. He presents this case study to a panel of experts comprised of:
Wayne G. Brisbane, MD – Assistant Professor of Urology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Phillip J. Koo, MD – Division Chief of Diagnostic Imaging and Northwest Region Oncology Physician Executive at the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Daniel P. Petrylak, MD – Director of Genitourinary Oncology, Professor of Medicine and Urology, Co-Leader of Cancer Signaling Networks, and Co-Director of the Signal Transduction Program at Yale University Cancer Center in New Haven, Connecticut.
After revealing that the patient had a PSA of 7.2 ng/ml after a 4-week course of Cipro, Dr. Crawford tells the panel that his recommendation was for the patient to undergo an mpMRI, with possible biopsies. This revealed that the patient had a 65g prostate with a PI-RADS 5 lesion, and several suspicious pelvic nodes. After 12 core biopsies, each core had a Gleason Score of 4 or 5.
Dr. Crawford then asks the panel to weigh in on the next steps for imaging for the patient. Dr. Petrylak and Dr. Koo both recommend PSMA PET scanning over bone scans as the appropriate next step.
Dr. Crawford presents the results of the patient’s PSMA PET scan, which revealed extensive skeletal disease, to the panel. Dr. Petrylak recommends ADT, and debates the use of doublet or triplet therapy for the patient. Dr. Brisbane points out that the patient’s PSA level does not necessarily reflect the burden of disease, and Dr. Petrylak agrees.
Finally, the panel discusses the possibility of using PSMA PET scan for the primary. The panel is ambivalent, citing the lack of long-term data supporting its use in the primary.
This is the fourth in a series of discussions on PSMA PET supported by Blue Earth Diagnostics. For the first installment, click here. For the second installment, click here. For the third installment, click here.

Optilume® BPH Catheter System: Optilume® BPH Product and Clinical Data Overview – Additional Thoughts

Posted by E. David Crawford, MD, Dean S. Elterman, MD, MSC, FRCSC and Steven A. Kaplan, MD | Jun 2024

David Crawford, MD, continues the conversation of the evolution of BPH treatments and the Optilume® BPH Catheter System with Dean S. Elterman, MD, MSC, FRCSC, and Stephen Kaplan, MD. To watch the main video, click here.

ADT is the Building Block for Advanced Prostate Cancer Therapy

Posted by E. David Crawford, MD | Feb 2024

E. David Crawford, MD, Editor-in-Chief at Grand Rounds in Urology, leads a discussion on Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) as the foundation for advanced prostate cancer treatment, supported by Verity Pharmaceuticals. Joining him in this discussion is:

Scott B. Selinger, MD – President of the Advanced Urology Institute, Chair of the Advanced Urology Institute’s Advanced Prostate Cancer committee, and President-Elect of the Large Urology Group Practice Association (LUGPA),

David S. Morris, MD, FACS – President and Director of Advanced Therapeutics Center for Urology Associates

Dr. Crawford begins with a brief overview of the history of ADT and the current options available for hormone-based therapies. Dr. Sellinger notes that with the introduction of more accurate assays, the targeted post-operative levels of testosterone (T) should be less than half of the 50 ng/dl that he had been originally taught. Dr. Morris points out that there is no one-size-fits-all level of testosterone, but agrees that post-op T levels should be as low as possible.

Dr. Crawford presents the group with data from the U.S. Prostate Cancer Conference indicating that just under a third of the experts present believed that the target for post-operative T levels should be 50 ng/dl or lower. Dr. Sellinger points out that 50 ng/dl or lower is the current target held by the FDA, but that active practitioners should be targeting 20 ng/dl or lower, which Dr. Crawford supports with data.

Dr. Crawford shifts the discussion from the ideal post-op T target to the importance of ADT scheduling, pointing out that the current acceptable dose delay is within two weeks. Dr. Crawford asks Dr. Morris for his input on the importance of a consistent administration schedule for interval dosing, and Dr. Morris acknowledges that the available medications provide varying levels of leeway between doses, though keeping the schedule as consistent as realistically possible is always best. Dr. Sellinger chimes in with real-world factors that impact clinicians’ ability to adhere to a strict dosing schedule.

Dr. Sellinger identifies that many of the studies which examined the impact of late dosing used an unrealistic 28-Day month cycle, pointing out that there are no months which consistently have only 28 days. Dr. Crawford follows up this point by presenting a review comparing the impact of late dosing on a 28-Day month against a 30-31-Day month, illustrating a significant spike in the rate of T breakthroughs when dosing was late in the 30-31-Day cycle. The group concludes that monitoring T is the most important factor in evaluating the effectiveness of ADT.

Dr. Crawford then asks the group if failure to monitor T could lead to an erroneous diagnosis of castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Dr. Morris and Dr. Sellinger agree that failure to monitor T could cause a clinician to misdiagnose castrate-resistant prostate cancer, especially when different ADT medications have differing effectiveness and administration procedures.

The group concludes with a discussion of EMBARK results, and the potential impact of newer therapies added to ADT. Dr. Morris focuses on how the EMBARK data suggests better treatment results from intensifying the therapy at first, then de-escalating the therapy once the patient becomes responsive. Dr. Sellinger highlights that many oncologists are still using monotherapy to treat prostate cancer, and expresses optimism at the expanding treatment options for prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer: Expert Advice for Helping Your Loved One

Posted by E. David Crawford, MD | Dec 2023

E. David Crawford, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Grand Rounds in Urology, sits down to talk about how patients and their loved ones can best navigate a prostate cancer diagnosis with David Mobley, MD, FACS, co-author of the book, “Prostate Cancer: Expert Advice for Helping Your Loved One.” They begin by referencing how the idea for the book came about between Dr. Mobley and Contributing Editor for Grand Rounds in Urology, Neil H. Baum, MD, after they saw a similar book intended for the partners of women with breast cancer. They discuss how Dr. Mobley and Dr. Baum, teamed up to address the questions and concerns patients and their partners often have that medical doctors rarely have time to answer in detail.

Dr. Mobley then discusses how Dr. Richard G. Key, MD, a specialist in treating the psychological effects of cancer diagnoses, joined the author team to provide guidance to the man and his partner on how to handle the emotional and psychological symptoms of prostate cancer. They discuss how the inclusion of Dr. Key’s expertise elevated the book by humanizing each case.

Finally, Dr. Crawford and Dr. Mobley discuss how the book relays information in the context of the experience of a couple navigating prostate cancer treatment. The format of each chapter is a vignette of a real prostate cancer patient, followed by an explanation for the questions raised in the vignette, and ending with further questions a man and his partner may have.