Opinion
Video
Tim A. Richardson, MD, outlines key settings for genetic testing in prostate cancer
Author(s):
Key Takeaways
- Genomic testing helps decide between active surveillance and treatment in localized prostate cancer patients, especially those with intermediate-risk or high-volume, low-risk disease.
- Germline and somatic testing are crucial for metastatic, high-risk, or locally advanced patients, informing risk assessment and guiding targeted therapies.
Tim A. Richardson, MD, outlines the 2 key scenarios for utilizing genetic testing in clinical practice.
In this video, Tim A. Richardson, MD, outlines the 2 key scenarios for utilizing genetic testing in clinical practice. Richardson is the director of the advanced prostate cancer program and the radioligand therapy infusion program at Wichita Urology in Kansas.
Video Transcript:
There are really 2 avenues of genetic testing: genomic markers, or genomic testing, vs what we call real genetic testing, like germline/somatic testing. One is used in one situation; one is used in the other. So, let's start with the most common patient, the localized disease patient that is either a candidate for active surveillance vs a candidate for treatment. We will order genomic testing on those patients in certain situations. In general, it's going to be those patients that were on the fence between watching them on active surveillance vs treating them.
The other situation that we would order that type of test would be a patient that we know we want to treat but we're trying to decide if we want to intensify treatment by adding some adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy to their radiation would be the most common situation. On the flip side, [there are] the patients that are metastatic, high-risk, locally advanced. Those patients are oftentimes ordering what we call germline testing plus/minus somatic testing, which is a different type of test, but that's more to not only educate them and their family on their risk of cancer, but also to direct with targeted therapies down the road. So, 2 different avenues, but by far the most common is probably going to be that localized patient that maybe has intermediate-risk disease or high-volume, low-risk disease, and you need some genomic markers to help you decide on treatment vs active surveillance.
This transcript was AI generated and edited by human editors for clarity.
