Supporting prostate cancer focal therapy: a multidisciplinary International Consensus of Experts ("ICE")

Abstract

Prostate cancer is a common malignancy among men, and the current screening, imaging and sampling approaches aim to detect early-stage, organ-confined disease. In such scenario, focal prostate cancer therapy currently relies on the index lesion concept as the dominant lesion that drives the disease natural history. Focal therapy demands the essential imaging and sampling techniques to strategically locate and qualify the disease, but, despite advances in technology, prostate imaging and biopsy have several limitations that need to be overcome if focal therapy is to be developed further. The I Prostate Cancer Focal Treatment International Symposium was convened to foster discussion on this topic that sits at the crossroads of multiple disciplines (Urology, Pathology, Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Medical Oncology) all of which were represented for this comprehensive multidisciplinary review of the current literature.

Keywords: Ablation techniques; HIFU; MRI; cryoablation; focal therapy; index lesion; prostatic neoplasms; transrectal ultrasound.