European Urological Association conference 2019, Barcelona

SmartTarget joined leading clinicians, academics, and innovators at the annual European Urological Association conference in Barcelona. At the stand, we demonstrated the SmartTarget MRI TRUS fusion system and met with a range of people in the industry.

We also had the opportunity to attend a number of presentations to hear about the latest developments. While the pursuit of ever more data and evidence continues, the support for mpMRI in diagnosis and focal therapy continues to grow. Professor Mark Emberton of UCL provided an update to the current the role of mpMRI in his plenary session talk as reported in UroToday:

• “Professor Mark Emberton, from University College in London, Great Britain, provided his insights on how mpMRI of the prostate has become a “game changer” in the last several years as part of the prostate cancer plenary session at the 2019 European Association of Urology (EAU) annual meeting in Barcelona, Spain. He specifically focused on the use of pre-biopsy MRI to aid in the diagnosis of prostate cancer…He noted that practice guidelines often lag behind evidence, and it has only recently been that some European guidelines have changed to state that mpMRI should be offered as a first line investigation for men with suspected prostate cancer prior to biopsy. Emberton believes that MRI is the single most important test in 2019 for the risk-stratification of localized prostate cancer…The data suggests that there are several potential benefits. First, fewer clinically significant prostate cancers will be missed. Also, importantly, less insignificantly cancers will be diagnosed, thereby minimizing overtreatment of disease. It also leads to fewer unnecessary biopsies, fewer needle deployments, more representative pathology, and less adverse effects. He presented data from the PRECISION trial which showed that men who only underwent mpMRI targeted biopsy, as opposed to standard biopsy, had less hematuria, fevers, hematochezia, erectile dysfunction, and pain. He next went on the argue that utilizing mpMRI as a risk-stratification tool to determine who requires biopsy also leads to cost reductions across healthcare systems.”

Focal therapy is becoming more and more accepted and prominent at the show with a range providers showcasing their technology. Professor Hashim Ahmed of Imperial College provided an overview of the current status of focal therapy and some of the latest developments underscoring the momentum of evidence for its efficacy.