Focal therapy for localised prostate cancer: are we asking the correct research questions?

Abstract

The goals of focal therapy are laudable, namely reducing morbidity of treatment while ensuring at least equivalent oncological outcomes when compared with established interventions for localised prostate cancer, e.g. RP and external beam radiotherapy. While progress has been made towards better identifying the index lesion in these patients, there is much yet to be done to establish the validity of the index lesion theory as the metastatic focus and to establish that current targeting and ablative platforms are adequate to deliver the goals outlined above. The correct research questions have not yet been asked to establish either of these key principles underpinning focal therapy for localised prostate cancer.