Research Interest

Active Surveillance

At present, curative treatment for all cases remains a standard approach. Active surveillance of early prostate cancer is a policy designed to reduce over-treatment, in which curative treatment is targeted to men with evidence of disease progression during a period of close monitoring.

The Royal Marsden prospective cohort study has recruited over 420 patients to date, making it the largest study of its kind and we have reported early clinical outcomes that demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.  In consequence we will lead the UK component of the ProSTART trial (NCIC PR 11), a 2,000 patient, international randomised controlled trial that compares active surveillance with radical treatment run in the UK by the ICR CTSU, with initial funding from the Cancer Research UK Feasibility Studies Committee.

Active surveillance affords a unique window on the natural history of the disease.  We have established a bio-repository of prostate biopsy tissue, serum, urine and peripheral blood lymphocytes linked to comprehensive clinical outcome data to evaluate putative biomarkers of prostate cancer behaviour.