Izak Faiena, MD, MSCR, presented “Getting Started with Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer” during the 24th Future Directions in Urology Symposium in August 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
How to cite: Faiena, Izak. “Getting Started with Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer.” August 2024. Accessed Dec 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/getting-started-with-focal-therapy-for-prostate-cancer/
Getting Started with Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer – Summary
Izak Faiena, MD, MSCR, offers a comprehensive overview of focal therapy for prostate cancer, highlighting its role as a targeted, less invasive approach to balance oncologic control with preserving patient quality of life.
In this 10-minute talk, Faiena shows that focal therapy targets the index lesion rather than the entire prostate, maintaining function while controlling cancer. It offers advantages such as fewer side effects, potential for retreatment, and deferral of whole gland therapy.
Several focal therapy modalities are discussed, including cryotherapy, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), irreversible electroporation (IRE), and focal laser ablation. The presentation underscores the importance of multidisciplinary care, continuous quality improvement, and follow-up.
While focal therapy shows potential, careful patient selection remains critical. The talk concludes with optimism about emerging clinical trials and future developments that may further refine focal therapy’s role in managing prostate cancer.
The Future Directions in Urology Symposium (FDUS) is an annual urology think tank and non-CME educational summit that brings together industry figures and experts to discuss the current state of genitourinary care and define future directions in treatment. Dr. Dreicer delivered this educational activity during the 24th iteration of the meeting in August 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Izak Faiena MD, MSCR, is an assistant professor of clinical urology and a urologic oncologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, NY. Dr. Faiena specializes in prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment as well as in other urologic cancers. Dr. Faiena earned his MD, with Alpha Omega Alpha honors, from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. He then completed his urology residency at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey, where he received multiple research awards for his work in prostate and bladder cancer. After residency, he completed a fellowship in urologic oncology and earned a master of science in clinical research (MSCR) at the University of California, Los Angeles Institute of Urologic Oncology and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, where he obtained significant research funding and conducted and published on clinical trials in urologic cancers. Dr. Faiena's current work focuses on developing and conducting clinical trials in prostate cancer in localized and advanced disease, and his research has been published in leading national and international medical journals.
