Integral Approach in the Follow-up of Prostate Cancer Patients: SOGUG Multidisciplinary Expert Panel Insights

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignancy in men in the majority of countries globally and although most cases follow an indolent course, the disease is heterogeneous with some patients exhibiting an aggressive clinical course with progression and metastasis. Castration-resistant metastatic disease has an overall poor prognosis with most patients dying within 2 years of diagnosis. The diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring strategies of patients with PCa have experienced remarkable improvements due to advances in genetic biomarkers, novel imaging techniques, androgen receptor (AR) signaling targeting agents, next-generation chemotherapeutic drugs, bone-seeking agents, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. All these new therapeutic options are added to standard radiation therapy and radical surgical procedures. However, the treatment outcomes of PCa can be improved by understanding the current therapeutic options and their appropriate sequencing use. Hence, a panel of experts summarized the current challenges in optimizing management, monitoring patients and assessing treatment response across different risk groups and tumor stages. Treatment-decision making in the framework of multidisciplinary teams, better understanding of the patient journey, and identification of unmet needs for improving quality of life are essential considerations in the managing patients in the real-world setting.