Assistant Professor of Pathology Diana Kozman, MD, was a panelist at the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers’ 5th Annual Community Education event in Durham, NC, on Sat., Sept. 21st, 2024. She participated in the interactive panel discussion titled “GU Patient Multidisciplinary Conferences: What Are They and How Do They Benefit You?” It was part of the conference track titled “Navigating Your Cancer Care.” Over 130 people attended the event, which focused on surviving and thriving while living with prostate cancer.
Other panelists included Associate Professor of Urology Michael Abern, MD, Radiation Oncology Medical Instructor Ryan Fecteau, MD, PhD, and Professor of Radiology Terence “Terry” Wong, MD. Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams also spoke, announcing that the City of Durham designated September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
“We’re lucky here in Durham,” said Williams. “We have Duke right down the street. And the center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers at DCI is a national leader in this work.”
Moderator Hanna McManus, MD, a medical oncologist, opened the session by introducing to the patients in the audience the concept of multidisciplinary conference, then invited each panelist to talk about their role in patient care and their contributions to the conference.
Kozman, the pathologist on the panel, asked the audience if they were familiar with what pathologists do, and explained briefly how they retrieve tissue, process it until it comes down to a slide, then look at it under the microscope and give a diagnosis. She showed them a block and a slide to illustrate her explanation.
At the end of the session, they opened up the floor to questions.
“One patient asked me about the utility of molecular testing in prostate cancer after biopsy diagnosis and if both are needed or one is enough,” said Kozman. “I said that they complement each other and that the molecular testing is helpful in determining the overall risk for progression which helps guide the treatment plan.”
Kozman joined Duke’s diagnostic Surgical Pathology faculty on Sept. 1st, 2023, primarily in the areas of Gynecologic and Genitourinary Pathology. Her ongoing research projects include studies such as “Isolated PMS2 Loss in Endometrial Cancer and Mucinous Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate.”