Judd W. Moul, MD, FACS, on Triaging Patients with Prostate Cancer

In an interview with CancerNetwork®, Judd W. Moul, MD, FACS, a urologic oncologist at Duke Cancer Center, spoke about how his team recommends triaging patients with prostate cancer during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Moul indicated that the majority of his patient visits are being moved to telehealth, with only about 10% of patients with prostate cancer actually coming into the facility for treatment.

“The ones that we’re seeing in person are generally, for example, men who have high-risk features and have a prostate biopsy, meaning if they have a very high PSA, more than 20, or have an abnormal digital rectal exam where they’re felt to have potentially more serious prostate cancer, we are still doing those biopsies,” said Moul. “So, I’m still typically doing 3 or 4 prostate biopsy procedures per week on those high-risk patients.”

Being within a center that has not yet seen a surge in cases of COVID-19, Moul saw an opportunity to aid in the decision-making process regarding the triage of patients with cancer. Using guidelines from the American College of Surgeons, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and American Urological Association, Moul and his colleagues constructed their own set of guidelines. Specifically, Moul focused on guidelines surrounding patients with prostate cancer.

“This is new charted territory for me, like it is all of my colleagues,” Moul said. “Even though I spent 22 years in the army, this is new territory. This is different than things I’ve experienced earlier in my career. And it’s tough, I feel really bad for my patients.” 

This segment comes from the CancerNetwork^® portion of the MJH Life Sciences National Broadcast, airing daily on all MJH Life Sciences channels.