How Can You Insist on Better Prostate Cancer Care?

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How Can You Insist on Better Prostate Cancer Care? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo. 

How can prostate cancer patients access the best care in an evolving treatment landscape? Prostate cancer survivor Jim Schraidt shares his advice for staying up-to-date about treatment developments and for accessing support and resources

Jim Schraidt is a prostate cancer survivor and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Us TOO International. Learn more about Jim Schraidt here.

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Transcript:

Jim Schraidt:              

The really great news is that sort of across the board, from early stage disease through metastatic prostate cancer patients, there are advances that are occurring very rapidly at this point, so rapidly that practitioners have difficulty keeping up with them.

And, honestly, those of us who do some patients support likewise have difficulty keeping up with them. I think, once again, these support groups can serve a useful function in that you have specific questions, you hear about it, you bring together a group of individuals, and somebody in that group may know something about it.

And they can tell you, they can give you information, or they can give you direct Internet links where you can find more information. The other source of information is some of the Us TOO publications, our monthly hot sheet, as well as the website.

There are a couple other websites that I personally regard as excellent. The first would be the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The second would be Prostate Cancer Research Institute. And then finally, ZERO. So, I think if you attend a support group, and talk to other guys, and look at some of these websites, I think that’s a very good starting point for research and trying to get the best and most up-to-date information possible.

There’s a lot of progress being made across the disease spectrum, and it’s very exciting. I mean, for many years, all we had was surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy. But new things are coming online all the time. There are immunotherapies that are frequently genetically based. And there’s new knowledge about the disease itself and making active surveillance available to more patients.

And this is extremely critical because many men can go on with prostate cancer, with low-grade disease, really for their entire lives, and avoid the side effects of treatment.

And even if they don’t, if they delay definitive treatment for a period of years, there may be something new that comes down the pike that is both effective and has a better side-effect profile. This is the kind of research that is a part of what Prostate Cancer Foundation is funding.

So, there’s a lot out there. There’s a lot that’s happening. And I think that should give encouragement to prostate cancer patients. In terms of somebody who is later in the process and having difficulty coping with side effects or disease progression, I think the encouragement is that there are people out there that you can talk to about it, that you’re really not alone, and there are people out there that are anxious to help you, to hear from you, and provide assistance.

For those of us who have been at it a while, we find that helping others enhances our own healing. And so, don’t be reticent about asking for help. Because it’s out there, and it can really make a difference.

The Link Between Prostate Cancer and Inherited Mutations

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The Link Between Prostate Cancer and Inherited Mutations from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo. 

How can inherited genetic mutations affect the course of your disease? Dr. Sumit Subudhi explains the link between inherited mutations and prostate cancer and how these mutations affect disease progression in patients with prostate cancer.

Dr. Sumit Subudhi is a Medical Oncologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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Transcript:

Katherine:                   

Dr. Subudhi, what is the link between inherited mutations and prostate cancer?

Dr. Subudhi:                 

Yeah, so in approximately 10% to 15% of patients with prostate cancer, they have an inheritable cause for their cancer. And so, this predisposes them to not just having prostate cancer, but potentially to other cancers, but also their family members.

In regards to the inheritable causes, the BRCA mutations – BRCA2 and BRCA1 – are very common. In fact, BRCA2 is more common than prostate cancer than BRCA1. In addition, there’s CHEK2 and ATM which are common inheritable mutations. And the other ones are the mismatch repair genes. Again, all these play an important role in repairing DNA. So, if you’re mutated in these genes, then your ability to repair DNA has been significantly diminished, and you’re more likely to gain more mutations.

Katherine:                   

How do these mutations affect disease progression?

Dr. Subudhi:                 

Yeah. So, what they can do is they can lead to mutations that make the cancer grow more. And there’s two ways to do it. You can have a mutation in what we call an oncogene, a gene that when it’s active, it’s going to just promote the cancer.

And then we have other genes called tumor suppressor genes. Their normal function is to prevent the cancer from growing. But if the tumor suppressor gene gets mutated so it’s no longer functional, then the cancer can then take off, because it’s no longer suppressed. So, those are how these genes can actually affect the prostate cancer.

If you have either an inheritable mutation in these genes or a somatic mutation, then there’s a chance that the PARP inhibitors could actually work for you. And the PARP inhibitors, they actually target cancers where there’s a defect in the DNA repair pathway.

Now, there’s one thing that I want to point out that a lot of people sort of are missing, and it’s not a subtle point. Not all inheritable mutations are made the same – or even somatic mutations. Meaning, what we’re learning is the PARP inhibitors seem to be more active with the “Braca,” or BRCA, mutations and the ATM mutations. Whereas, they’re less active with other types of DNA repair mutations. So, the point is not all mutations are made the same.

Prostate Cancer Testing: What Tests Should You Advocate For?

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Prostate Cancer Testing: What Tests Should You Advocate For? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Genetic testing results can influence a prostate cancer patient’s treatment options and provide a more in-depth understanding into their disease. Dr. Sumit Subudhi reviews specific tests that prostate cancer patients should advocate for.

Dr. Sumit Subudhi is a Medical Oncologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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Transcript:

Katherine:                   

What is the role of genetic testing in prostate cancer?

Dr. Subudhi:                 

That’s a great question, because this is something that wasn’t really available when I was training and understanding prostate cancer. But over the last few years, this has actually hit the mainstream, and it’s very important. And I see it having three roles. The first role is whether or not you can receive a certain type of targeted therapy or systemic therapy known as PARP inhibitors. So, if your genetic test is positive for certain markers – that I think we’ll cover later – then it can help give you more treatment options. The second is that generate testing can give you also risk of other cancers besides prostate cancer. For example, if you have the BRCA mutation, you’re 15% to 20% more likely to get breast cancer in men.

The third is that because the genetic testing is looking for inheritable mutations in your genes, that means you can pass it along to your kids. And this could have a tremendous impact on the screening strategies your children want to use in the future.

Katherine:                   

Would you mind going into that a little bit?

Dr. Subudhi:                 

Yeah.

Katherine:                   

For instance, my ex-husband had early prostate cancer. My 22-year-old son is worried now about also getting prostate cancer. His grandfather had prostate cancer.

Dr. Subudhi:                 

Yeah, great question. So, it’s not just about prostate cancer. So, prostate cancer, genetically, is linked to other cancers, as well.

So, in your case, you’re turning by your son. But if you have daughters or any female members in the family, consideration needs to be given to breast and ovarian cancer. And for both men and women, we also have to think about melanoma and pancreatic cancer. So, it’s not just prostate cancer that we’re thinking about when you have these genetic risks. And that’s very important, because each of these different cancers can have different screening modalities.

Katherine:                   

Oh. Well, how is the testing administered then?

Dr. Subudhi:                 

The testing is actually a blood test, so very simple.

Katherine:                   

Have there been any major advances in testing?

Dr. Subudhi:                 

Yeah, so when we’re talking about the inheritable testing, that’s just a simple blood test. And the reason why it can be done simply through the blood is because every cell in your body has it. So, when they collect the blood, they can just take any cell from there and do genetic analysis. And if that gene is mutated or missing, it will be captured.

Now, there’s another type of testing where they test your tumor tissue itself – so, your cancer tissue – whether you got it by biopsy or surgically removed. And so, that’s a different type of testing. That’s looking for what we call somatic mutations. These are not inherited mutations. These are mutations that are specific for your prostate cancer. Again, in contrast, the inheritable mutations are in every cell in your body – not just your prostate cancer cells, but every cell in your body. And the somatic, it’s just in your prostate tissue itself.

And so, sometimes with prostate cancer, it’s difficult to get the tissue. And what’s happened more recently – and to answer your question – is that the advances have been in what we call liquid biopsies, where they are able to use your blood and get the DNA from the tumors and actually genetically test the cancers that way. And so, that’s where the future is going.

Katherine:                   

Oh, that’s amazing. Are there specific tests that patients should ask their doctor for following the diagnosis?

Dr. Subudhi:                 

Yeah. So, if inpatients with high risk or metastatic prostate cancer, they should definitely be considering tests to see if they have mutations in what we call the DNA damage repair pathway or homologous recombination DNA pathway. And I know they’re fancy terms. What these genes are, they’re genes that help the body repair their DNA, and DNA is very important. And so, when there’s defects in the DNA repair pathway, then mutations occur. And these mutations can actually help the cancer grow.

 Now what’s happening is that what they’re looking for in these genetic tests – whether it’s the inheritable test or the somatic mutation test that’s looking just within the tumor itself – they’re looking to see if there’s any DNA damage machinery that’s defective. And if it is, then you’re more likely to benefit from PARP inhibitors, which are oral drugs that specifically target the DNA repair pathway.

Prostate Cancer Staging: What Patients Should Know

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Prostate Cancer Staging: What Patients Should Know from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo. 

Dr. Sumit Subudhi provides a brief explanation of the stages of prostate cancer, the role of staging in determining a prostate cancer patient’s treatment path, and how patients can advocate for a precise diagnosis.

Dr. Sumit Subudhi is a Medical Oncologist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

See More From INSIST! Prostate Cancer

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Prostate Cancer Testing: What Tests Should You Advocate For?

How to Become a Partner in Your Own Prostate Cancer Care

How Can You Access Personalized Prostate Cancer Treatment? Resource Guide

 

Transcript:

Katherine:                   

Well, Dr. Subudhi, I’d like you to begin with a brief explanation of the stages of prostate cancer.

Dr. Subudhi:

We use stages, and there’s four – Stage I, II, III, and IV. And we use it to help us determine what treatments the patients need for their prostate cancer. In general, Stage I is localized prostate cancer, and it’s localized only to the prostate. And when we do a digital rectal exam, we cannot feel or palpate the prostate.

And the treatment for Stage I prostate cancer is either active surveillance, where you’re not trying to cure the cancer, you’re just actively watching it, and you’re using a PSA imaging studies, prostate biopsies, and digital rectal exams at regular intervals to follow the patients. But other patients with Stage I prostate cancer can actually get definitive treatment for curative intent with radiation therapy or surgery. Stage 2 prostate cancer is also localized, but on physical exam, we can actually palpate or feel the prostate cancer. And this also can receive definitive treatment for the prostate to cure it, and that, also, you can use radiation therapy and surgery.

Stage III is what I consider locally advance. This is where the prostate cancer is now starting to leave the prostate. And it still can be cured by radiation and surgery, but most likely needs a multidisciplinary approach, where you might need both or maybe even in addition of a systemic therapy. Stage IV is the last stage that I’ll talk about, and it has distant metastases. And here we’re not looking for a curative approach; we’re actually looking for palliation, which means that we’re trying to treat the prostate cancer as a chronic disease.

Katherine:

I understand that there are many types of prostate cancer that have been identified. How can patients advocate for a precise diagnosis?

Dr. Subudhi:

Yes, you’re absolutely right. There are many types. So, we have historically used histological classification. And when I say histological, that means when we look at the cancer under the microscope, we can look at the different structures within the prostate cancer and classify them.

And there are multiple types such as adenocarcinoma, neuroendocrine, small-cell, mucinous, etc. But more recently, with the advances in genetic and molecular testing, we now can look at the genes inside the prostate cancer, and that has also helped us better classify the cancer. Now many of these types of approaches are best done at major cancer centers, where they have experienced pathologists who actually evaluate both histologically and molecularly the cancer.

So, I recommend to my patients, or family and friends, that have been diagnosed with prostate cancer that they don’t necessarily have to go to the major cancer centers. They can have their local doctor send the tissue from the biopsy to the advanced cancer centers to get a second opinion.