Prostate cancer (PC) poses a significant public health concern in Taiwan, marked by rising incidence and mortality rates. To address this burden, the Empowering Patients, Innovating Care (EPIC) Prostate Cancer Network convened a multidisciplinary panel comprising healthcare professionals (HCPs), patients, caregivers, and industry representatives. Using a modified Nominal Group Technique (NGT), the panel identified critical unmet needs across the patient journey and formulated a consensus aimed at optimizing patient-centered care. Major challenges include low public awareness, absence of national screening programs, delayed diagnosis, limited access to innovative treatment options, restricted shared decision-making (SDM) processes, insufficient education for patients and caregivers regarding disease progression and side effects, and inadequate holistic long-term management. The panel recommended launching public awareness initiatives and establishing national prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening policies to reduce mortality. To ensure timely and accurate diagnoses, clearer diagnostic pathways incorporating advanced diagnostic tools such as prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography (PSMA-PET) are essential. Enhancing SDM practices can empower patients, leading to improved satisfaction and outcomes. Additionally, providing robust educational resources for both patients and caregivers and adopting a multidisciplinary, holistic approach are crucial to effectively addressing the diverse long-term needs of PC patients.
Chueh et al. (Fri,) studied this question.