Genomic Testing

The approval of the first PARP inhibitors for prostate cancer was hailed as the "dawn of the precision medicine era" in the field.

“In non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer, we need more biomarkers, something that can hopefully reduce the frequency of invasive procedures for these patients,” says Kristen Scarpato, MD, MPH.

In this interview, Wesley Yip, MD, discusses the feasibility and validation of genomic profiling of upper tract urothelial carcinoma from urine cytology specimens.

“We really have a pretty good understanding of the genomic landscape at the DNA/RNA level, both in non–muscle-invasive disease and muscle-invasive and metastatic disease,” says Seth P. Lerner, MD, FACS.

"I think that we have seen a lot of updates and advances in advanced prostate cancer generally, one of the biggest of these being PSMA-targeted lutetium," says Alicia K. Morgans, MD, MPH.

“We will also cover options for germline testing—different ways that tests can be ordered, panel options that are available commercially,” says Veda N. Giri, MD.

“I think this is an area that needs to be really personalized to each clinical practice,” says Alicia K. Morgans, MD, MPH.

"Liquid biopsy analysis provides a noninvasive and facile tool for early detection, diagnosis, and recurrence surveillance of urological cancer," writes Jim Lu, MD, PhD.

“Adverse pathology is a clear predictor of long-term outcomes for patients,” says Eric A. Klein, MD.

“[Attendees] will be learning multiple aspects in terms of the genetic evaluation for men with prostate cancer,” says Veda N. Giri, MD.

“This type of collaboration [between SEER and GPS assay] is a really nice illustration of the types of projects that we should be undertaking in the future,” says Scarlett Gomez, MD, PhD.

Eligible participants will receive free genetic testing and counseling that will determine potential gene mutations and propose plans for treatment.

Parents are seen for pretest and posttest counseling as well as second opinion visits.

The approval provides urologists with another tool for the treatment of patients with genitourinary cancers and underscores the rapidly growing significance of genetic testing in the field of urology.

“The…state of genomic testing continues to evolve,” says Ketan K. Badani, MD.

Brian T. Helfand, MD, PhD, NorthShore University HealthSystem, discusses the value of using multiparametric MRI and genomic testing together when making treatment decisions in prostate cancer.

Genetic counselor Samantha E. Greenberg, MS, MPH, CGC, on when to discuss genetic testing with prostate cancer patients.

The Decipher Prostate genomic classifier identified biomarkers associated with improved apalutamide outcomes in nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle lowered the likelihood of developing aggressive prostate cancer among men with high genetic risk.

“The role of genomic testing in bladder is expanding almost every year,” says Faltas.

33% of urologists surveyed did not perform or refer patients for germline testing, despite treating patients with advanced prostate cancer in their practice.