European Association of Urology 2022: Collaborating to translate urological cancer innovation into better patient outcomes (Guest blog)
18.07.22
The statistics around urological cancers quickly show the importance of moments such as European Association of Urology (EAU) annual congress at the start of July. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and bladder cancer is the fifth most frequently cancer diagnosed in Europe. [1,2,3] Yet despite this high prevalence, there remains a high unmet need for people living with urological cancers.
Challenges faced by the urological community are exacerbating this situation. Presenting at a late stage, can impact both bladder and prostate cancer patient outcomes. [4-8] Meanwhile, patients may face additional challenges with their mental health as a result of urological disease, from stigma to embarrassment to isolation. [9]
Thankfully, we are not standing still in our efforts to provide better care for patients, and there are much-needed novel innovations that have the potential to transform the urological cancer treatment landscape. Cancer interception, targeted treatment, and tumour-agnostic science, are three examples that form part of our commitment to taking science to where it has not been, giving patients and their healthcare professionals more options as we work to deliver the right treatment to the right patient at the right time.
Cancer interception aims to find ways to thwart the disease before it spreads in the body, in contrast to existing prevention approaches which traditionally focus on minimising known risk factors. [10] This could harness new understandings of why some healthy cells turn cancerous, unlocking the possibility of developing medication that interrupts this process, so we can find ways of combatting cancer at earlier and earlier stages.
Meanwhile, targeted treatment moves away from one-size-fits-all care to develop a personalised approach that considers urological cancer patients’ unique needs – with promising results so far.[11,12] We are working hard to put patient voices and experiences at the heart of research and development, helping us understand how to best support them, and their individual circumstances, throughout treatment.
Finally, tumour-agnostic science takes a different approach, treating a tumour based on its genetic make-up, regardless of where the tumour is in the body or how it looks under the microscope.[13] This approach is changing the way we think about treatment and has the potential to offer new avenues of treatment for patients.
Yet as these exciting innovations progress, it is critical that we translate cutting-edge science effectively into real-world impact for patients – bringing it from bench side to care. This is where moments like EAU22 come in: bringing together the research excellence of the region and showcasing the latest advancements in the field with the industry professionals, healthcare providers and patients who are needed to turn them into clinical reality.
As we move closer to our shared goal of finding cures for these cancers, these touch points and opportunities for collaboration will continue to be key in translating data into practice. I am already looking forward to the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) annual meeting in September as another key milestone for sharing disruptive science and research in oncology. The statistics for urological cancers are sobering, but together we can work to change them.
[1] HEAL. Health Costs in the European Union – How much is related to EDCS? Available at: https://www.env-health.org/IMG/pdf/prostate_testical.pdf Last accessed July 2022
[2] European Cancer Patient Coalition. Urological Cancer. Available at: https://ecpc.org/news-events/bladder-cancer/ Last accessed July 2022
[3] IARC/WHO. Cancer Today, 2020. Estimated number of new cases in 2020, Europe, both sexes, all ages. Available at: https://gco.iarc.fr/today/online-analysis table?v=2020&mode=cancer&mode_population=continents&population=900&populations=908&key=asr&sex=0&cancer=39&type=0&statistic=5&prevalence=0&population_group=0&ages_group%5B%5D=0&ages_group%5B%5D=17&group_cancer=1&include_nmsc=1&include_nmsc_other=1 . Last Accessed July 2022
[4] Medical News Today. Advanced prostate cancer (stage 4): Signs, symptoms, and treatment. Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/314157 Last accessed July 2022
[5] Prostate Cancer UK. Prostate cancer symptoms. Available at: https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information/about-prostate-cancer/prostate-cancer-symptoms Last accessed July 2022
[6] Cancer.net. Prostate Cancer – Statistics. Available at: https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/statistics Last accessed July 2022
[7] National Cancer Institute. Cancer Stat Facts: Bladder Cancer. Available at: https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/urinb.html. Last accessed July 2022
[8] Healthline. Stage 4 Bladder Cancer: Prognosis and Life Expectancy. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/bladder-cancer-stage-4/prognosis-and-life-expectancy Last accessed July 2022
[9] The Urology Foundation. Time to Talk Day: The Urology Stigma. Available at: https://www.theurologyfoundation.org/news/latest-news/time-to-talk-urology-stigma Last accessed July 2022
[10] cancer today. Intercepting cancer by tackling precancer. Available at: https://www.cancertodaymag.org/winter2020-2021/intercepting-cancer-by-tackling-precancer/ Last accessed July 2022
[11] The Pharmaceutical Journal. The precision medicine approach to cancer therapy: part 1 — solid tumours. Available at: https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/research/the-precision-medicine-approach-to-cancer-therapy-part-1-solid-tumours. Last accessed July 2022
[12] Grunewald, C, M. et al. Personalisierte Medizin im Urothelkarzinom der Harnblase [Personalised medicine in urothelial bladder cancer]. Aktuelle Urol. 2019; 50(5):502-508. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31195416/. Last accessed July 2022
[13] Cancer.gov. Tumour-agnostic therapy. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/tumor-agnostic-therapy Last accessed July 2022
Job code: CP-330001
Date of preparation: July 2022