Celestia S. Higano

Celestia Higano is a pioneering physician-scientist who has spent her career advancing the treatment and supportive care of men with advanced prostate cancer. She spent decades as a Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the Genitourinary Oncology Program at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center before transitioning to a clinical faculty role at the University of British Columbia and BC Cancer. She is internationally recognized for her work on the skeletal complications of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and for her leadership in sipuleucel-T clinical trials. Higano's contributions to bone health research in prostate cancer established that ADT — the cornerstone of treatment for advanced prostate cancer — causes significant, progressive bone mineral density (BMD) loss, increasing fracture risk. Her prospective studies characterizing the magnitude of ADT-induced bone loss and its clinical consequences provided the foundational data for FDA approval of denosumab (Prolia) for the prevention of ADT-related bone loss and for the routine use of bone density monitoring, calcium, vitamin D supplementation, and bisphosphonates in men receiving ADT. This work has directly reduced fracture rates in one of the most common cancer treatment populations in the world. As an investigator in multiple sipuleucel-T trials, Higano contributed to the clinical development of the first approved therapeutic cancer vaccine, including early phase studies that established its biologic activity and tolerability profile. Her clinical leadership has spanned decades of prostate cancer trials at the Fred Hutchinson/University of Washington consortium, and she was central to the SWOG cooperative group's GU cancer program. A respected mentor and educator, she has trained numerous oncologists and is known for her contributions to patient advocacy and quality-of-life research in prostate cancer.

Celestia Higano 是一位先驱性的医学科学家，毕生致力于晚期前列腺癌的治疗和支持性护理。她因对雄激素剥夺治疗（ADT）骨骼并发症的研究和在 sipuleucel-T 临床试验中的领导作用而享誉国际。 Higano 对前列腺癌骨骼健康的研究确立了 ADT 会导致显著的骨矿物质密度损失，其前瞻性研究为地诺单抗（Prolia）获 FDA 批准用于预防 ADT 相关骨质损失提供了基础数据，并建立了常规骨密度监测标准，直接降低了接受 ADT 的患者的骨折发生率。