Welcome to Rotterdam in The Netherlands!

Over the last 5 years there has been increasing acceptance of Active Surveillance for prostate cancer as alternative to invasive treatment for men with low risk prostate cancer. Unless the overdiagnosis of indolent disease is reduced by alternative diagnostic strategies for early prostate cancer, active surveillance will continue to play an important role. In selecting men for active surveillance programs, a balance is sought between minimizing the risk of tumor progression and maximizing the number of men that will remain asymptomatic and untreated for the rest of their lives. The challenge is to determine how new imaging methods, and biomarkers, can improve patient selection, and how drug intervention may improve outcome.

This ESO Inside Track Conference on Active Surveillance will be an interactive educational activity in which attendees will enjoy presentations by internationally renowned principle investigators of active surveillance programs. You will meet the specialists who have developed or evaluated technologies that may alter the selection and monitoring of patients. And you will participate in workshops that vary from protocols to psychology.

The approach of active surveillance has become a ferment of development, with research activities in many areas. Basic and translational scientists throughout the Western world are evaluating new biomarkers to better predict the natural history of individual prostate cancers. Genetic, proteomic, and systems biology approaches are being tested. Phenomenal developments in imaging, particularly multi-parametric MRI and enhanced ultrasound, show great promise in identifying patients with more aggressive disease. Recent large scale studies on the natural history of prostate cancer have many implications for patient management. The potential role of 5 ARIs and other ‘preventive’ strategies are of great interest. The psychological impact of non-treatment on patients diagnosed with prostate cancer, and the effect of this on quality of life, has received more attention recently. Finally, a number of economic models of surveillance have been developed.

The goal of these sessions is the same: to understand how to better manage and advise men with low risk prostate cancer that likely will remain indolent.

On behalf of the European School of Oncology (ESO) we would like to thank the European Association of Urology (EAU), and Europa Uomo, the European Prostate Coalition for their participation. Together we are working to improve the outcome of patients with prostate cancer.

On behalf of the Scientific Coordinators, the Co-Chairs, and the organizing team, we wish you a productive and enjoyable Conference.

Chris Bangma and Laurence Klotz
Chairs

TOPICS
• Overdetection and overtreatment
• Active surveillance programs worldwide
• Selection and monitoring for active surveillance
• Application of emerging technologies and biomarkers for screening and surveillance
• Psychosocial considerations on active surveillance programs
• The urologist dealing with active surveillance
• International registry studies with tissue collection

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
• To define the state of the art of active surveillance in prostate cancer
• To evaluate the application of active surveillance in daily clinical practice
• To determine the future research trends within the oncology community

TARGET AUDIENCE
Urologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, biostatisticians, pathologists, investigators in outcomes research and genomics.

Location