Review of Sentinel Assay for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

Posted by Laurence Klotz, MD, FRCSC | Sep 2021

Laurence Klotz, MD, FRCSC, presented “Review of Sentinel Assay for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis” during the 31st International Prostate Cancer Update in July 2021 in Snowbird, Utah.

How to cite: Klotz, Laurence. “Review of Sentinel Assay for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis.” July 2021. Accessed Apr 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/whats-new-in-active-surveillance-for-prostate-cancer-in-2021/

Review of Sentinel Assay for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis – Summary

Laurence Klotz, MD, FRCSC, Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and the Sunnybrook Chair of Prostate Cancer Research, reviews the Sentinel Assay, a urine-based assay for detecting prostate cancer currently awaiting FDA approval. He notes that there are several significant needs in the pre-biopsy setting, including the need to increase the probability of a positive biopsy, and the need to reduce overdetection and the number of unnecessary biopsies. Dr. Klotz observes that there are several commercially-available biomarker assays that seek to help with this, all of which appear to work fairly well, although perhaps not quite as well as miR Scientific’s Sentinel Assay appears to. He explains that the Sentinel Assay is based on analysis of 442 urinary exosome microRNA sequences, and that it can identify small high-grade tumors that may be missed by imaging or biopsy. Dr. Klotz then summarizes the results of the one paper published on the Sentinel Assay so far, observing that its findings that the Sentinel prostate cancer test demonstrates a sensitivity of 94% and specificity of 92% are almost too good to be true. He presents as-yet-unpublished data that supports these findings, showing a 93% concordance between the Sentinel Assay and pathology. Dr. Klotz concludes that while validation is still needed, the Sentinel Assay appears to be an extremely accurate urine-based assay that will be easy to ship and use.

About The 31st Annual International Prostate Cancer Update:

The International Prostate Cancer Update (IPCU), founded in 1990, is a multi-day CME conference focused on prostate cancer treatment updates with expert, international faculty. It is led by expert physicians and is designed for urologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and other healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Dr. Klotz delivered this educational activity during the 31st iteration of the meeting in July 2021 in Snowbird, Utah.

About The Author

Laurence Klotz, MD, FRCSC

Laurence Klotz, MD, FRCSC, is a professor of surgery at the University of Toronto and the Sunnybrook Chair of Prostate Cancer Research. Dr. Klotz was the founding editor-in-chief of both the Canadian Journal of Urology and the Canadian Urology Association Journal (CUAJ), and he is now editor emeritus of the CUAJ. Dr. Klotz obtained his medical degree and completed his residency at the University of Toronto. He was also a uro-oncology fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Dr. Klotz has 550 peer review publications and eight books. He coined the phrase “active surveillance” and successfully championed this approach for men with favorable-risk prostate cancer against substantial resistance. He was the associate editor of the Journal of Urology, responsible for prostate cancer, for eight years. Dr. Klotz received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for outstanding public service, the University of Toronto's Lister Prize, the Society of Urologic Oncology’s SUO Medal, the American Urological Association’s Richard Williams Award, the University of Toronto's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Canadian Urological Association Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Harold Warwick Award from the Canadian Cancer Society for “outstanding contributions to cancer control.” In 2015 he was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian award.

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