The 20th annual edition of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Prostate Cancer (one of the eight NCCN Guidelines originally published in 1996), has been published by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).
“We have made an incredible amount of progress in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer since the NCCN Guidelines were published in 1996,” James L. Mohler, MD, Associate Director for Translational Research, Chair, Department of Urology, and Professor of Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and NCCN Guidelines Panel Chair for Prostate Cancer, said in a press release. “The death rate for men with prostate cancer has fallen from approximately 40,000 to 29,000[i], and the evolution of the NCCN Guidelines for Prostate Cancer has contributed significantly to that trend.”
Dr. Mohler further noted that for men diagnosed with prostate cancer, life expectancy has changed significantly.
These new NCCN Guidelines recommendations for early detection and care take into consideration life expectancy, which can be predicted from specific tables and fine-tuned depending on the patients’ comorbidities, among other different elements.
“The sole recommendation of active surveillance for men with low risk and very low risk prostate cancer, although initially controversial, has been gaining increased acceptance as more clinical experience supports the action taken by the NCCN Prostate Guidelines Panel,” added Dr. Mohler.
Along with prostate cancer, a more severe, metastatic form of the disease, metastatic castration-recurrent prostate cancer (CRPC) has also seen significant improvements regarding treatment. This has improved disease outcomes and has allowed patients and physicians expanded options of therapeutics to use in tailor-made treatments.
“NCCN applauds and thanks the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Prostate Cancer,” Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN, said in the press release. “Given the challenge of determining the optimal treatment for the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the United States, our panel members over the past 20 years have consistently served in the best interest of men with prostate cancer,” he added.
Currently, NCCN develops and provides sixty NCCN Guidelines that cover 97% of all malignant cancers. These guidelines are created and updated using an evidence-based procedure that involves field experts who gather complete clinical and scientific data.
The full library of NCCN Guidelines is available for consult here: NCCN.org