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New Tests May Soon Offer Better Guidance for Prostate Cancer Patients

While there are best practices in place that can guide men and their doctors in choosing a treatment path, they are far from perfect.

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New Tests May Soon Offer Better Guidance for Prostate Cancer Patients

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  1. New Tests May Soon Offer Better Guidance for Prostate Cancer Patients Facing down the facts of prostate cancer is never easy. Once the initial diagnosis sinks in, men must make a series of complicated treatment-related decisions. Weighing a treatment’s ability to effectively fight the disease versus the risks to quality of life a proposed treatment may pose is no easy feat. Muddying the waters can be a lack of any definitive guidance on what treatments are best suited for a man’s particular form of the disease. Molecular and genetic tests, however, may offer clearer guidance for some patients. While there are best practices in place that can guide men and their doctors in choosing a treatment path, they are far from perfect. Multi-gene panels, for example, may provide more insights on which men might benefit more from radical prostatectomy surgery or radiation. They may also help pinpoint whether a particular man’s cancer is more likely to benefit from an enhanced treatment path that also includes the use of hormone therapy.

  2. Molecular assays are already available and have been included in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s 2016 guidelines. Their use is recommended for cases of clinically localized forms of the disease. These tests are generally performed on biopsy or prostatectomy tissue to gain prognostic information about a particular tumor. They can, for example, help determine the likelihood of metastatic development after prostatectomy or salvage radiotherapy. In essence, they can help more clearly guide treatment decisions based on a specific patient’s needs. As molecular and genetic tests become more common in prostate cancer treatment men and their doctors may gain valuable insights to guide the treatment process. Men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer are urged to talk to their doctors about all tests and treatments offered. In higher risk cases, for example, molecular testing may not be advised in favor of more immediate, aggressive action.

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