OUR MISSION
About Us
The Focal Therapy Society aims to advance and position minimally invasive treatments and image-targeted cancer treatment in a safe and effective gland-preserving manner to extend and maintain one’s quality of life.


OUR VISION
To control or eradicate prostate and kidney cancer in a minimally invasive, image-targeted manner while optimizing the preservation of organ function.
ABOUT
Our History
The beginnings of the society can be traced back to 2008 when we met as an international workshop, or think-tank, of key opinion leaders determined to develop a means to treat localized prostate cancer in a minimally invasive manner while sparing the non-malignant portions of the prostate in an effort to preserve a man’s urinary continence and potency. Given this ambitious goal, we were very inclusive from the onset, understanding that for focal therapy to succeed, it will require a multi-disciplinary effort teaming-up urologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, biomedical engineers, new discoveries in pharma along with the medical imaging and device industry. Ultimately the patient with need to get involved as this new platform of targeting, treating and managing prostate and kidney cancer was being developed with their interest in mind.
Since inception, the symposium has rotated between North America, Europe and Japan, occurring during the Spring of each year.
The Society and Symposium have a purely educational focus aimed at addressing key issues and latest developments in the minimally invasive treatment (focal therapy) that destroys the known area(s) of cancer.
The Symposium includes first class and forward thinking presentations by distinguished and pioneering faculty are selected to serve the educational goals, with video sessions being an important component of the program.In October 2019, the Focal Therapy Society was officially incorporated by joining with the Endourological Society. The Endourological Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1983 by a group of international urologists. The Focal Therapy Society’s founding executives are led by Thomas Polascik (Founding President), Jean De-La- Rosette, Rafael Sanchez-Salas and Ardeshir Rastinehad.
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Society Members
Thomas Polascik PRESIDENT USA |
Jean de la Rosette VICE PRESIDENT TURKEY |
Rafael Sanchez Salas SECRETARY FRANCE |
Art Rastinehad SECRETARY ELECT USA |
Jonathan Coleman USA |
Inderbir Gill USA |
Georg Salomon GERMANY |
Sebastian Crouzet FRANCE |
Laurence Klotz CANADA |
Kae Jack Tay SINGAPORE |
Mark Emberton ENGLAND |
Pilar Laguna TURKEY |
Samir Taneja USA |
John Feller USA |
Herbert Lepor USA |
Massimo Valerio SWITZERLAND |
Antonio Finelli CANADA |
Osamu Okimura JAPAN |
Jochen Walz FRANCE |
Jürgen Futterer NETHERLANDS |
Peter Pinto USA |
John Ward USA |
Arvin George USA |
Cary Robertson USA |
Jeffrey Cadeddu USA |
Thomas Polascik PRESIDENT USA |
Jean de la Rosette VICE PRESIDENT TURKEY |
Rafael Sanchez Salas SECRETARY FRANCE |
Art Rastinehad SCIENTIFIC CHAIR USA |
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In Memoriam

Please consider supporting Vladimir Mouraviev’s family and help ease at least their financial burden. All donations regardless of size will help.
May his memory, passion and founding efforts in Focal Therapy, endure.
Vladimir Mouraviev MD PhD joined the Duke Urology research group as a Research Fellow in the Summer of 2005. He began working on Focal Therapy as a potential new treatment for localized prostate cancer that promised to be a paradigm shift away from traditional whole-gland treatment. Little did he know at the time the impact and legacy this will eventually have on targeted treatment of prostate cancer.
Academically, Vladimir was an extremely capable, gifted scientist and clinician. During his 5+-year tenure at Duke, he was the most dedicated and hardest working individual I had known.