Study shows potential of ctDNA as biomarker for immunotherapy response in GU cancers

Here is some of the top content on genomic testing from the past year.

The study found pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in DNA damage repair genes and HOXB13 to be more frequently observed in Black men with a family history of cancer.

UriFind uses a urine sample to assess whether a patient has bladder cancer, avoiding an invasive cystoscopy.

“Our study offers molecular and cellular insights into this aggressive subtype of prostate cancer, which we hope will ultimately impact patient care,” said the study’s lead author, Hong Yuen Wong, PhD.

All patients with prostate cancer, except for those with low-risk or very low-risk localized disease, should be tested for germline mutations, and somatic testing should be done in all patients with metastatic disease as there are therapeutic implications, according to Emmanuel S. Antonarakis, MD.

A higher score on PORTOS, an expression signature of 24 DNA damage repair and immune pathway genes, predicted improved response to dose-intensified salvage radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy in patients with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer.