Grant: Project Grant

Men with early prostate cancer can elect to be treated aggressively with surgery or radiation (with a risk of side effects), or be watched under an "Active Surveillance" regimen (AS). Although we have shown that the likelihood of prostate cancer spreading when being watched on AS is quite low, it is not zero, as some men will progress to having more aggressive disease, needing even more aggressive treatment with a lower chance of success. In addition, AS requires invasive biopsies which have a chance of serious side effects including infection. This is why a non-invasive test is needed that will help us determine upfront which men are more likely to need treatment so we can offer it right away. In this research, we are looking at factors secreted into the urine ('biomarkers') by the prostate gland, that we believe can identify men on AS that actually have aggressive cancer. We will use one of the largest and most mature AS populations in the world to try to answer these questions. Ultimately we hope to prove our urine biomarkers will provide an effective non-invasive way to differentiate those men with early disease that can be watched from those with higher grade disease that should be treated. This personalized approach will improve the long term survival and quality of life of men diagnosed with prostate cancer.