The availability of a number of agents that are efficacious in patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) has led to them being used sequentially, and this has prolonged patient survival. However, in order to maximize their efficacy, clinicians need to be able to obtain a reliable picture of disease evolution by means of monitoring procedures.
As the intensive monitoring protocols used in pivotal trials cannot be adopted in everyday clinical practice and there is no agreement among the available guidelines, a multidisciplinary panel of Italian experts met to develop recommendations for monitoring mPC patients using a modified Delphi method.
The consensus project considered methods of clinically, radiographically, and biochemically monitoring patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer undergoing chemotherapy and/or hormonal treatment. The panelists also considered the methods and timing of monitoring castration levels, bone health, and the metabolic syndrome during androgen deprivation therapy.
The recommendations, which were drawn up by experts following a formal and validated consensus procedure, will help clinicians face the everyday challenges of monitoring metastatic prostate cancer patients.
Cancers. 2019 Dec 01*** epublish ***
Alberto Lapini, Orazio Caffo, Giovanni Pappagallo, Roberto Iacovelli, Rolando Maria D'Angelillo, Vittorio Vavassori, Roberta Ceccarelli, Sergio Bracarda, Barbara Alicja Jereczek-Fossa, Luigi Da Pozzo, Giario Natale Conti
Department of Urology, University of Florence, University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy., Department of Medical Oncology, Santa Chiara Hospital, 38112 Trento, Italy., Italian Society of Uro-Oncology, 40125 Bologna, Italy., Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy., Radiotherapy Unit, Campus Bio-Medico University, 00128 Rome, Italy., Department of Radiation Oncology, Humanitas Gavazzeni, 24125 Bergamo, Italy., Department of Medical Oncology, "Santa Maria" Hospital,05100 Terni, Italy., Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, University of Milan, Division of Radiotherapy, IEO European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, 20132 Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, Università degli Studi Milano Bicocca - ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, 24129 Bergamo, Italy., Urology Unit, Azienda Socio-Sanitaria Territoriale Lariana, Sant'Anna Hospital, 22042 Como, Italy.