Anna Lantz

Anna Lantz

Affiliated to Research | Docent
Visiting address: Nobels väg 12a, 17165 Solna
Postal address: C8 Medicinsk epidemiologi och biostatistik, C8 MEB Eklund, 171 77 Stockholm

About me

  • Anna Lantz (former Wallerstedt)
    Associate Professor in Urology at Karolinska Institutet and Consultant
    Urologist at Karolinska University Hospital Solna, focusing on detection and
    treatment of prostate cancer, combining clinical work with independent
    research at Karolinska Institutet.
    Anna Lantz defended her thesis "Outcomes after surgical treatment of
    localized prostate cancer with focus on urinary incontinence and short term
    complications" in March 2015 at Karolinska Institutet. In 2016 to 2018 she
    undertook postdoctoral studies at Department of Medical Epidemiology and
    Biostatistics within the STHLM-studies with focus on improved detection of
    prostate cancer, setting up the STHLM3AS trial as Principal Investigator.
    During 2019-2020 Anna Lantz undertook international postdoctoral studies at
    Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
    2021 - Principal Investigator site 723 EMBARK - MDV3100-13
    2018- SLL Postdoc
    2011-2016 SLL Research Resident
    2011 26th Annual EAU Congress in Vienna, Best Poster Presentation Award
    *Research grants*
    2020 Åke Wibergs Stiftelse
    2020 Karolinska Institutets Research Grant
    2020 Svenska sällskapet för medicinsk forskning
    2020 Prostatacancerförbundet
    2019-2020 Svenska Läkaresällskapets Postdoc
    2019 Hirsch resebidrag för kirurger
    2018-2019 Postdoc, Stockholm County Council
    2017 Grant, Johan Hedins Stiftelse
    2011-2016 Research-Resident in Urology, Stockholm County Council
    2021 Associate Professor (KI)
    2019-2020 Postdoc (Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York)
    2016-2018 Postdoc (Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics,
    KI)
    2015 Ph.D. (Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, KI)
    2008 M.D. (KI)

Research

  • *Principal Investigator for Prostate Cancer IRE Study (PRIS) – A
    randomized controlled trial comparing focal to radical treatment in localized
    prostate cancer*
    Radical treatments of localized prostate cancer are associated with a
    significant risk for morbidity in terms of incontinence and impotence, while
    providing only small survival benefits compared to active surveillance.
    Advances in the field of prostate cancer MRI together with the effort to
    reduce treatment morbidity has led to development methods for focal treatment
    of prostate cancer during the latest decade. Irreversible Electroporation
    (IRE) is a novel image-guided tissue ablation technology that induces cell
    death through short pulsed electric fields. In comparison to thermal
    therapies IRE has the advantage of being non-thermal with elements of tissue
    selectivity which significantly reduces toxicity on anatomical structures
    surrounding the tumour. The aim of the planned study is to evaluate the
    feasibility to treat localized prostate cancer with IRE in comparison with
    conventional radical treatments (surgery or radiation) through a randomized
    controlled trial with the primary objective to locally control the tumour
    with a minimum of side effects. The ethical review board has approved the
    study and inclusion started in 2022. The study is now in its randomised
    phase.
    *Medically responsible for Organised prostate cancer testing (OPT) in Region
    Stockholm Gotland*
    Prostate cancer is the cancer form with highest mortality rates among men in
    Sweden. Research has shown that screening with PSA reduces mortality from the
    disease. This has led to widespread unorganized PSA testing that has proven
    to be inefficient, unequal and resource intensive. Therefore, in 2018, the
    National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) commissioned Sweden's
    municipalities and county councils (SKR) to develop and implement programs
    for organized prostate cancer testing (OPT) to improve efficiency and
    equality, reduce resource usage, and test supplementary diagnostic tests to
    prostate specific antigen (PSA). Region Stockholm Gotland initiated OPT in
    2022 by inviting all men 50 y of age to undergo testing (around 17 000
    men/year). The OPT program include all steps from invitation to biopsy result
    notification. We are currently evaluating the results of the first year of
    OPT.
    *LAPPRO-trial evaluating functional and oncological outcomes after prostate
    cancer surgery*
    The overarching aim with my research has been to improve patient care for men
    with prostate cancer. The LAPPRO-trial is a multicentre, prospective
    controlled trial of men who underwent radical prostatectomy between 2008 and
    2011 (n=4003). In this national collaborative study, comprising men from 14
    hospitals in Sweden, I have evaluated functional outcomes, such as
    incontinence, erectile dysfunction and quality of life after radical
    prostatectomy. I defended my thesis presenting data from the LAPPRO trial in
    2015 and have continued my collaboration with the group since then. In 2021
    the 8-year follow-up of the trial was published in European Urology. We are
    currently working on the 12-year follow-up.
    *Principal Investigator for STHLM3AS and STHLM3AS-NorDCaP*
    The latest years, I have focused on evaluating diagnostics and follow up in
    men with low-risk prostate cancer. Specifically, I analyzed men with low-risk
    prostate cancer on active surveillance in the STHLM0* *database and found
    that the guidelines for monitoring are not followed. We identified the need
    for improved active surveillance protocols and thus started the STHLM3-AS
    with the aim to improve monitoring of men with low-risk prostate cancer,
    including the Stockholm3-test and MRI. The study included over 300 men and
    the results, published in JNCI, show that our new proposed protocol leads to
    higher detection rate of significant prostate cancer including less invasive
    monitoring. To validate our results, we initiated STHLM3AS NorDCaP including
    men from Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden with the aim to recruit 400 men
    on active surveillance within 2021. The objective of the study is
    to validate our results from STHLM3AS and improve surveillance for low risk
    prostate cancer.
    *Studies within the STHLM0 database*
    Using the population-based cohort STHLM0, I have been involved in several
    studies evaluating the effect of drugs and diseases on the risk of being
    diagnosed with prostate cancer. In* *2018 we performed a large
    population-based historical prospective study using data from STHLM0 and
    found a reduced risk of prostate cancer among 5-ARI users. We are currently
    investigating the effect of 5-ARIs on prostate cancer specific mortality.
    *Mount Sinai Prostate Cancer Cohort, New York*
    In 2019-2020 I was offered a research position at Mount Sinai Hospital in New
    York City, USA. During my postdoc at Mount Sinai I evaluated diagnostics in
    prostate cancer using MRI and biomarkers, specifically for men with low risk
    prostate cancer. In my main publication we created a nomogram for including
    men into active surveillance rather than curative treatment, in an attempt to
    increase quality of life and decrease overtreatment of men with clinically
    insignificant prostate cancer. Our results emphasize that a greater
    proportion of men with localized prostate cancer can be treated
    conservatively with active surveillance in a safe way if the selection is
    optimized. Furthermore, through the collaboration I have been involved in
    creating a multicenter MRI-database with data from 5 countries, containing
    3700 men with prostate cancer that has underwent MRI and targeted biopsies.
    After my postdoc period I have continued to have close contact with my
    collegues at Mount Sinai, collaborating in different projects.

Teaching

  • *Leadership and pedagogical training*
    2019 Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Distance (GHPD) Course
    2018-19 Head of urological education, Karolinska University Hospital
    2017- Teacher for medical students at the Department of Urology in
    Karolinska Hospital
    2016-17 Teacher in Research School for clinicians in Epidemiology,
    Karolinska Institutet
    *Teaching experience*
    Around 140 teaching hours at Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska
    Institutet. The teaching has involved lectures, seminars and bed side /OR
    teaching.

Articles

All other publications

Employments

  • Affiliated to Research, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2026
  • Affiliated to Research, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2026

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2021
  • Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, 2015
  • University Medical Degree, Karolinska Institutet, 2008

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