Previewing the Society of Urologic Oncology 2023 Annual Meeting

The Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO)¹ is holding its semiannual meeting at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC, November 28-December 1, 2023. The goal of the meeting is to improve urologic cancer care by sharing data on the latest clinical trials and techniques for diagnosis and treatment. The meeting covers a broad range of urology topics, including prostate cancer, kidney cancer, and bladder cancer, as well as less commonly discussed topics like penile cancer. The event is typically attended by an extensive audience—practicing urologic oncologists, SUO urologic oncology fellows, research fellows, and other trainees—and it offers several presentation formats, including abstract and poster presentations, lectures, and panel discussions. There are also workshops for specific new technologies and treatment modalities. In this article, I will briefly highlight some of the most interesting and exciting topics due to be discussed at this year’s meeting.

An estimated 12.9% of the US male population will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis at some point in their lifetimes.² That diagnosis can induce feelings of anxiety and, depending on the treatment modality, may have long-term effects such as erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence, which can significantly impact quality of life. Knowing the landscape of prostate cancer management today, the SUO meeting is an important opportunity to drive advancements in prostate cancer care and reduce the burden of the disease on men worldwide.

Definitive early detection and diagnosis is of utmost importance to reducing the morbidity of prostate cancer, but it is difficult to find the intersection between early diagnosis and over intervention. Identifying new technologies and working to overcome technical and economic considerations can help alleviate this challenge. For example, transperineal (TP) prostate biopsy has been applauded for its well-documented lower rates of postbiopsy infection when compared with transrectal prostate biopsy  (<0.5% vs 3.6%).³ Yet TP prostate biopsy is considered economically unfavorable. Cost considerations, such as the need to purchase specialized equipment to perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/ultrasound-guided biopsies, is one major hurdle to implementing TP prostate biopsy. Limited reimbursement rates is another. I look forward to the presentation from Parth K. Modi, MD, on the economics of TP prostate biopsy and how he proposes to overcome the current economic issues facing its widespread adoption.⁴

The SUO program agenda also includes several lesser-discussed prostate cancer-related topics, including the management of elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostate cancer in transplant patients. Marc-Oliver Timsit, MD, PhD, will address this complex topic, which affects many solid organ transplant recipients.

The meeting will also showcase speakers discussing the management of renal masses, bladder cancer, and other urologic cancers, highlighting the need for the urologic community to have wider awareness of the challenges facing this patient population.

Since prostate cancer affects more than 1 in 10 American men, the need to decrease morbidity and effect on quality of life is incredibly important. As urologists, we continue to strive for therapeutic options that can reduce the side effects of whole-gland treatments, such as radical prostatectomy. In the last several years, there has been continued emphasis on investigating the use of focal therapy for localized prostate cancer. With this approach, urinary and sexual function may be preserved for a longer period of time so that patients can enjoy a better quality of life. In this realm, I look forward to hearing about the latest focal therapy approaches from George Schade, MD. Also, Arvin George, MD, will present the results of a focal therapy trial performed on an intermediate-risk prostate cancer cohort.

In patients with more aggressive forms of prostate cancer, achieving complete oncologic control of the disease remains of paramount importance to prevent cancer progression. The SUO meeting will offer presentations on several novel treatment combinations currently being trialed. Health Cheng, MD, PhD, will speak about the SWOG 2210 trial,⁵ an ongoing phase 2 clinical trial investigating the use of carboplatin prior to surgery for patients with high-risk prostate cancer who have BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. Patients with high- or very high-risk prostate cancer defined by PSA >20, a Gleason score of 8-10, or clinical staging cT3+ are eligible for the trial. The primary outcome is measuring pathologic complete response. Trials such as SWOG 2210 highlight the importance of integrating medical oncology and surgical oncology to facilitate the best oncologic cure results for patients with prostate cancer.

In the innovation sphere, I look forward to hearing Erik Li, MD, discuss the role of artificial intelligence (AI)-derived digital pathology biomarkers for prostate cancer-specific survival prediction. Such research plays a critical role in the early process of AI model generation for the completion of complex tasks such as patient risk stratification based on clinical data, automated image analysis, and predicting treatment response.

Overall, the SUO Annual Meeting provides urologic oncologists and other members of the urologic oncology community with a venue to share their latest research findings and discuss issues and challenges. The meeting plays a critical role in advancing care for our urologic oncology patients and also serves as a key educational opportunity for fellows and residents who are interested in urologic oncology. Finally, like all scientific meetings, the agenda provides ample time for clinical discussions and networking opportunities that may facilitate innovation to propel the field of urologic oncology forward.

Akhil Abraham Saji, MD, Fellow at the University of Southern California, is a urologist specializing in minimally invasive surgery and urologic oncology with an interest in technology-driven innovation within health care.

References

1. SUO history. Society of Urologic Oncology. Accessed November 18, 2023. https://suonet.org/about-us/suo-history.aspx
2. Cancer stat facts: prostate cancer. National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Accessed May 14, 2023. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/prost.html
3. Ortner G, Tzanaki E, Rai BP, Nagele U, Tokas T. Transperineal prostate biopsy: the modern gold standard to prostate cancer diagnosis. Turk J Urol. 2021;47(Suppl 1):S19-S26. doi:10.5152/tud.2020.20358
4. Program schedules. Society of Urologic Oncology. Accessed November 18, 2023. https://suonet.org/meetings/upcoming-meetings/program-schedule.aspx
5. Carboplatin chemotherapy before surgery for patients with high-risk prostate cancer and an inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. National Cancer Institute. Accessed November 18, 2023. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/clinical-trials/search/v?id=NCI-2023-02356