Jurgen Futterer, MD, PhD, presented “Patient Selection for Focal Therapy – Radiologic Perspective” during the 8th Global Summit on Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Prostate Cancer on October 8, 2024.
How to cite: Futterer, Jurgen. “Patient Selection for Focal Therapy – Radiologic Perspective.” October 8, 2024. Accessed Sep 2025. https://grandroundsinurology.com/patient-selection-for-focal-therapy-radiologic-perspective/
Patient Selection for Focal Therapy – Radiologic Perspective – Summary
Jurgen Futterer, MD, PhD, focuses on patient selection for focal therapy from a radiological perspective. In this 8-minute presentation, Dr. Futterer begins by discussing the case of a 72-year-old male with intermediate-risk prostate cancer, demonstrating how imaging, particularly multiparametric MRI (mpMRI), can reveal lesions and guide therapeutic options. Dr. Futterer highlights the challenges of balancing treatment effectiveness with minimizing side effects, which are common with radical treatments.
Focal therapy is presented as a potential middle ground, offering the possibility of treating the lesion while preserving surrounding tissue. The discussion emphasizes the importance of pre-treatment imaging, intraoperative feedback, and post-treatment monitoring in ensuring effective outcomes. Imaging tools, like diffusion-weighted MRI, are noted for their ability to estimate histological tumor volume. The limitations of current biomarkers, such as PSA, in post-focal therapy surveillance are acknowledged, stressing the need for systematic follow-up biopsies and advanced imaging techniques like PSMA PET.
The Global Summit on Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Prostate Cancer is a unique multi-disciplinary forum organized to inform the key health care stakeholders about the emerging advances in clinical cases and research and create a consensus-based vision for the future of precision care and educational and research strategy for its realization. The mission of the Summit is to fill the currently existing gap between the key experts of in vivo imaging, the world authorities in the in vitro fluid- and tissue-based molecular diagnostics, including genomics, and thought leaders in the development of novel observation strategies (e.g., active surveillance, or AS) and therapeutic interventions.
