Importance of understanding patterns in prostate genomic testing

"In our sample, nearly 10% of patients [with prostate cancer] had a gene variant that made them eligible for effective new therapies, with faster results than traditional referral for genetic testing and counseling,” said Maria I. Carlo, MD.

“I think we often encourage our patients to share concerns about depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, yet are less likely ourselves to seek help due to this issue of stigma,” says Raj S. Pruthi, MD, MHA, FACS.

Researchers identified 9 novel susceptibility loci for prostate cancer, 7 of which were substantially more prevalent in patients of African ancestry.

“Open your mind to being both [a mentee and mentor,] no matter where you are,” says Anne M. Suskind, MD, MS, FACS, FPMRS.

“Vanderbilt researchers are participating in numerous projects related to PRS and disease risk; studies such as this highlight the importance of evaluating whether novel clinical tools actually enhance care,” said Kerry Schaffer, MD.

"We think this is an important call to action for the NCCN to follow in the footsteps of the AUA, who recently removed VLR from its prostate cancer guidelines in its most recent update," says Kevin Shee, MD, PhD.