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This educational programme is supported by an Independent Medical Education Grant from AstraZeneca and Amoy Diagnostics.

In part 1 of this podcast series, the Oncology Brothers moderate a discussion on pre-analytical phase challenges and biomarker testing in prostate cancer.

They are joined by GU cancer genomics expert Dr Alexander Wyatt and medical oncologist Dr Petros Grivas, who share their views on why identifying genetic alterations is so important in prostate cancer and explore common pre-analytical phase challenges and biomarker testing approaches.

 

We are pleased to share that this podcast is endorsed by the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) and The National Alliance of State Prostate Cancer Coalitions (NASPCC). You can find out more about AMP at www.amp.org and NASPCC at https://naspcc.org/.

 

Clinical Takeaways

  • Testing for alterations in DNA damage response genes (e.g., BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM), MSI-high and TMB is important and should be conducted as early as possible, typically at the point of diagnosis and at progression wherever possible. This enables optimal treatment selection and monitoring for patients with prostate cancer

  • Tumour biopsy is commonly used for genetic somatic testing in prostate cancer. Germline testing is also very important for both the patient and to help identify whether unaffected family members may be at risk of cancer (through cascade testing)

  • Acknowledging and addressing potential pre-analytical challenges (e.g., during patient preparation, sample collection, transportation, preparation, and storage) is important to mitigate against poor testing results

  • ctDNA testing, especially at the time of diagnosis of advanced disease, can be very helpful. Particularly when tumour tissue samples are not feasible or adequate, but also to complement tumour tissue by trying to capture more tumour heterogeneity. It is associated with a faster turnaround time and less logistical burden compared to tissue biopsy

Educational objectives

  • Be aware of common pre-analytical challenges and how to mitigate these in prostate cancer samples
  • Be able to include all relevant biomarkers in the test request and tests
  • Understand the importance of the MDT in decision-making around testing and treatment decisions

Dr. Wyatt is an associate professor in Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Canada. He is a senior research scientist at the Vancouver Prostate Centre and a senior scientist at BC Cancer. Dr. Wyatt has a DPhil in genetics from the University of Oxford. His research goals are to identify associations between genomic alterations and patient outcomes in metastatic prostate and bladder cancer, and to translate these findings into clinical biomarkers. Dr. Wyatt has developed novel laboratory and computational techniques to study plasma circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA). Through application of these methods to clinical trial cohorts, his team has demonstrated that ctDNA is highly representative of metastatic lesions, and that somatic alterations detected in ctDNA can help predict prostate cancer therapy resistance or response.

Dr. Petros Grivas is board-certified medical oncologist with vast experience and high expertise in genitourinary (GU) cancers. He is the Clinical Director of the GU Cancers Program and Professor at the Dept. of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Washington, and Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. He received M.D. and Ph.D. in Greece in 2005 and 2009, respectively. He completed Internal Medicine Residency at Hahnemann University Hospital/Drexel University College of Medicine (Philadelphia) in 2010, and Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) in 2013. He was a Clinical Lecturer before he was recruited as Assistant Professor at Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland). He has had main role in several clinical trials leading to FDA approval of new drugs for urothelial cancer. He is considered a key opinion, thought leader and international expert, giving lectures in several countries, educating oncologists and other healthcare providers, mentoring numerous trainees, leading large innovative clinical trials, reviewing grant proposals and manuscripts, and publishing novel and important research. He is dedicated to personalized and outstanding patient care, efficient clinical operations, and believes in optimal patient-physician relationship as well as community outreach.  

Drs. Rohit Gosain and Rahul Gosain, the Oncology Brothers, are board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and oncology. They work in the community setting as generalists, and their mission is to bridge the gap between the community and academia by providing key insights and succinct conference updates, discussing practice-changing data, and reiterating the standard of care.

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This educational programme is supported by an Independent Medical Education Grant from AstraZeneca and Amoy Diagnostics.
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PRECISION ONCOLOGY CONNECT

PRECISION ONCOLOGY CONNECT is an initiative of COR2ED, supported by an Independent Educational Grant from AstraZeneca, Amoy Diagnostics and Bayer.

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