Veda Giri, MD, on strategies to advance prostate cancer genetic testing

In a recent interview with Urology Times®, Veda N. Giri, MD, outlined practical ways to improve prostate cancer genetic testing based on results from the PROGRESS Registry, which evaluated patient-reported outcomes from men regarding germline testing.¹ Giri is a professor of internal medicine (medical oncology) at Yale School of Medicine as well as the Director of the Early Onset Cancer Program and Assistant Director of the Clinical Cancer Genetics Program at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut.

To begin the discussion, Giri previews the launch of a discussion tool aimed at helping men who have genetic mutations better communicate genetic risks with their family members. The tool includes educational material on what genes are included in prostate cancer genetic testing and what genetic results mean, as well as discussion tools to aid in communication with relatives, including conversation starters, written letter examples, and more.

Giri also references insights from the study that could be used to improve uptake of genetic testing. For example, the study found that many men find it tough to think about genetic testing when they first receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer. According to Giri, urologists may see greater benefit in circling back to the topic of genetic testing once care has settled down.

The study also found positive results with different methods of genetic care delivery, suggesting a potential opportunity to think about alternative care delivery models that may expand access to testing.

“There’s such long wait times often for genetic counseling services just given the large volume of patients,” Giri explained. “There are now web tools available videos for pretest genetic education that can be given to patients to help patients make an informed decision for genetic testing.”

Tools such as these, she says, may allow for a richer discussion on genetic testing and genetic results.

REFERENCE

1. Loeb S, Keith SW, Gross L, et al. Patient-Reported Outcomes From Males Regarding Germline Testing for Prostate Cancer: Results From the PROGRESS Registry. JCO Precis Oncol. 2025:9:e2500571. doi: 10.1200/PO-25-00571