Abstract

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• At the first Global Urologic Oncology Congress ? which was held in conjunction with the SIU meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, on October 2-3, 2004 ? a total of 250 urologists from nine regions throughout the world participated in working groups to develop consensus statements about the management of prostate cancer patients. The focus was on two areas of prostate cancer: first, screening and detection ? including when to do a biopsy, and how to manage low-risk patients ? and second, management of high-risk patients.

  Conclusion:

  Overall, there is marked global diversity of beliefs about optimal screening and management of patients with low- or high-risk localized prostate cancer. This diversity likely reflects regional differences in epidemiologic factors, resources, and treatment patterns. Participating in the process of trying to develop international practice consensus gives urologists the opportunity to broaden their perspective about handling common clinical scenarios.