Laurence Klotz, MD, FRCSC, presented “What’s New in Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer in 2021” during the 31st International Prostate Cancer Update in July 2021 in Snowbird, Utah.
How to cite: Klotz, Laurence. “What’s New in Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer in 2021.” July 2021. Accessed Dec 2024. https://dev.grandroundsinurology.com/whats-new-in-active-surveillance-for-prostate-cancer-in-2021/
What’s New in Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer in 2021 – Summary
Laurence Klotz, MD, FRCSC, Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and the Chair of Prostate Cancer Research at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, discusses what is new with active surveillance (AS) for prostate cancer, presenting various recent studies. He begins by considering the role of molecular genetics and observes that patients with certain kinds of disease are very safe candidates for AS noting, for instance, that only 2% of patients with Gleason grade 1 cancer are in the highest average genetic risk quartile, and that long-term outcomes for patients with Gleason grade 1 disease on AS are excellent. Dr. Klotz then looks at the safety of AS for younger patients, a group that has often been encouraged to get radical treatment, and highlights studies showing that younger men have a lower risk of upgrading while on AS and that AS is as safe for men over 60 as it is for men under 60. He comments on some other commonly-cited risk factors, noting that, with the exception of patients with BRCA mutations, a family history of prostate cancer does not increase a patient’s risk of having more aggressive prostate cancer, and also that while Black men experience higher rates of progression and treatment on AS, there is no difference in metastasis or mortality compared to White men on AS. Dr. Klotz acknowledges that radical treatment is likely necessary for patients with the BRCA2 mutation, but mentions that there is some controversy in this area. He then touches on the limitations of MRI, emphasizing that MRI progression does not correlate with upgrading and that MRI does not contribute significantly to the identification of higher-grade cancer, and that biopsy compliance is important for identifying progression. Dr. Klotz also briefly notes that active surveillance is a safe option for well-selected patients with intermediate-risk disease. He then looks at some recent research indicating a relationship between obesity and prostate cancer progression. Dr. Klotz concludes with the observation that while there is still a lot of variation in the use of active surveillance, as well as room for growth, there has been increased uptake overall in the US.
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, is the former Chief of Urology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and former President of the Urological Research Society and the Canadian Urological Association. He currently serves as Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and holds 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, and is now Editor Emeritus of the CUAJ. He is the Founder and Chairman of the Canadian Urology Research Consortium (CURC), and is also the Chair of the Global GU Oncology Group.
Dr. Klotz obtained his medical degree from the University of Toronto and completed his residency at the University of Toronto Gallie Program in Surgery. He was a fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York in uro-oncology.
Dr. Klotz is a widely published uro-oncologist with over 350 publications and several books. His main research interest has been prostate cancer. He has served on the boards of many medical/scientific organizations and journals, including the SUO, Prostate Cancer Canada, the journals Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases, Brazilian Journal of Urology, Italian Journal of Urology, and World Journal of Urology.
Dr. Klotz was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for meritorious public service in 2012, and the University of Toronto Department of Surgery Lister Prize and the Society of Urologic Oncology Medal in 2013. He received the Harold Warwick Award from the Canadian Cancer Society for ‘outstanding contributions to cancer control’ in 2014. He received the Order of Canada in 2015, and the Richard Williams Award from the AUA in 2016. He received the Dean’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Toronto in 2017.
