Abhinav Sidana, MD, MPH, presented “The Who and Why of Focal Therapies” during the 2023 Frontiers in Oncologic Prostate Care and Ablative Local Therapy symposium on November 10, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois.
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How to cite: Sidana, Abhinav. “The Who and Why of Focal Therapies.” November, 2023. Accessed Apr 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/the-who-and-why-of-focal-therapies/
The Who and Why of Focal Therapies – Summary
Abhinav Sidana, MD, MPH, discusses the selection processes, objectives, and data supporting the use of focal therapy to treat prostate cancer. He begins with an overview of the state of focal therapy, and how it can be used to provide more personalized prostate cancer treatment to patients.
Dr. Sidana then compares the weaknesses of focal therapy to those of radical surgery and surveillance. He notes that while focal therapy has been criticized for its shortcomings in addressing “invisible” and multifocal cancers, radical surgery has permanent negative effects on patient QOL and that many patients on active surveillance drop out after a certain length of time.
Dr. Sidana then addresses recent advances in focal therapy which can partially mitigate some of the shortcomings of focal therapy. He focuses on advancements in MRI accuracy and specificity which makes treating multifocal and previously invisible clinically significant cancers using focal therapy effective.
Dr. Sidana concludes by outlining strategies for patient selection for focal therapy. He presents examples of ideal patient and disease characteristics for focal therapy treatment and lists relevant contraindications.
Frontiers in Oncologic Prostate Care and Ablative Local Therapy (FOCAL) is an outstanding program on prostate imaging, transperineal interventions, and ablative treatments for prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Bringing together community-based, academic, and industry partners, FOCAL offers lectures by world-renowned faculty and hands-on training workshops on in-office transperineal interventions, fusion-guided prostate ablation and state-of-the-art BPH management with novel technologies.
