PC Treatments and Clinical Trials Archives

When it comes to treatment, prostate cancer patients and their care partners have much to consider. There are often many options available, each with advantages and disadvantages. Some people may seek clinical trials, others may have few feasible options. Understanding treatment options, goals, and what to expect are vital to achieving the best possible outcome for you.

More resources for Prostate Cancer Treatments and Clinical Trials from Patient Empowerment Network.

What Questions Should Prostate Cancer Patients Ask About Testing and Test Results?

What Questions Should Prostate Cancer Patients Ask About Testing and Test Results? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What are key questions for prostate cancer patients to ask about testing and test results? Dr. David Wise explains the concept of shared decision-making and advice for taking to your doctor about test results to help access quality care.

Dr. David Wise is Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health. Learn more about Dr. Wise.

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Transcript:

Dr. David Wise:

It’s a good question. I think patients, first of all, should really understand that although the oncologist often has a lot of information and often a lot of experience, the patient is the one that really should have the power to make the decisions.  

And the patient should often remind the oncologist of that, that shared decision-making is a crucial empowerment concept that patients need to understand.   

Patients come into a treatment in an incredibly vulnerable position, and that’s for a few different factors. And I think that they need to understand that they need to express their preferences, and they need to actively take part in that decision. And I think expressing that is really important. I think oncologists should also help patients understand that, that they’re the ones in the driver’s seat, that they’re the ones that have the power to make the decision, and that the position should be arrived at in a shared decision framework.  

In terms of questions patients should ask, patients should always ask about alternative. I think oftentimes, you hear maybe just treatment option that oncologist thinks might be the best, but I think it’s important to constantly say, “Well, what are the alternative here? Is there anything else that we could think about?” Perhaps that treatment that you’re suggesting sounds really exciting, but it really may not work for me for my particular context.  

So, is there another option that the oncologist may not be thinking about because it wouldn’t be their usual recommendation. But maybe in my specific circumstance, there might be something that would work better for me. I think those are the kinds of questions, continuing to voice your preferences, what you want.   

Finding the right treatment is so critical. And arriving at it from a shared decision-making, it just continues to build that relationship, and it makes for a much better dynamic over the course of that treatment and others.  

Are We Getting Closer to Precision Oncology for Prostate Cancer?

Are We Getting Closer to Precision Oncology for Prostate Cancer? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Is there progress in precision oncology for prostate cancer? Dr. David Wise shares his perspective about precision oncology and an update about ongoing research. 

Dr. David Wise is Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health. Learn more about Dr. Wise.

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Prostate Cancer Treatment_ What Is Precision Oncology

Prostate Cancer Treatment: What Is Precision Oncology?


Transcript:

Dr. David Wise:

Sure. So, yes. One of the key steps going forward for our research is to look for more of these precision targets that we can take advantage of. We certainly think that there are more genetic features out there that have yet to be treated effectively. And so, those are the kinds of treatments that we’re really excited about.  

And so, along those lines, we have clinical trials here that are looking at specific mutations in the androgen receptor gene, for example, which is a clear gene that promotes the development of prostate cancer and its resistance to established treatments. So, we have clinical trials here targeting the androgen receptor, particularly when it’s mutated, okay? So, that’s one example. We have immunotherapy trials here that are really looking to target PSMA, so with the same sort of precision target.  

But instead of looking for a different target, we’re trying to treat the same target but with a different treatment modality. So, instead of using radiation targeted towards that PSMA, we’re trying to use antibodies that bring the immune system towards that target in order to provide a potentially better tolerated and longer-lasting treatment to patients with PSMA on their cancer.  

And even taking it to the next step, what we’ve found is that…how do we help boost the long-term durability of our treatments? A lot of these precision treatments give us an initial excellent result only to eventually stop working. And so, how do we extend durability? That’s a very important area of research. And we think part of that is boosting the immune system’s response to the treatment. And so, we’re actually also going to begin a trial in the next few months, which we think is really exciting, where we’re combining lutetium PSMA to target those PSMA-expressing prostate cancers.  

But then we’re combining that with a type of immunotherapy that we think will more fully expose the cancer to the treatment effect and remove some of the barriers in the body towards fully killing those remaining cancer cells. 

Prostate Cancer Treatment: What Is Precision Oncology?

Prostate Cancer Treatment: What Is Precision Oncology? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

How is precision oncology used in prostate cancer? Dr. David Wise defines precision oncology and explains how it is used in conjunction with prostate cancer testing for patient care.

Dr. David Wise is Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health. Learn more about Dr. Wise.

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Are We Getting Closer to Precision Oncology for Prostate Cancer

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Transcript:

Dr. David Wise:

Absolutely. So, precision oncology is really a term that describes being able to tailor treatment to a patient’s cancer to the information that we have from that specific individual. So, it’s really tailored medicine. And it’s precise because, typically, that treatment is leveraging or exploiting a specific vulnerability or feature that we’re able to discern by a specialized testing of that patient’s cancer, okay?  

And so, everything that I’ve been discussing, biomarker testing that lends itself directly to treatment is largely overlapping and very much an example of precision oncology. So, using genetic test results to guide treatment from that patient, that’s tailored to that patient. So, that is precision oncology.  

Using that patient’s PSMA profile to determine the benefit of lutetium, that is, in my view, precision oncology. There are other examples of this in multiple different spheres and using multiple different treatment types, but that’s the general concept. I think the other example of precision oncology in general and specifically for prostate cancer are targeting NTRK mutations. So, NTRK I, II, and III, those are genes that can get mutated in any cancer type.   

And just like the example of immunotherapy with microsatellite instability, the same holds true. So, any cancer with an NTRK mutation, there is an FDA approval to use NTRK inhibitory oral medications to treat that patient. Similarly to immunotherapy and microsatellite instability, we wish those mutations were more common because the treatment is very well-tolerated and is incredibly effective.  

But still, just because it’s not common doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look for it because of how impactful these treatments can be. 

How Do Biomarker Test Results Impact Prostate Cancer Treatment Options?

How Do Biomarker Test Results Impact Prostate Cancer Treatment Options? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What can biomarker test results indicate about prostate cancer treatment options? Dr. David Wise discusses genetic mutations, treatment classes, and testing methods that are commonly examined to help determine optimal prostate cancer approaches.

Dr. David Wise is Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health. Learn more about Dr. Wise.

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What Is a Prostate Cancer Biomarker

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Transcript:

Dr. David Wise:

So, that’s a great question. So, there are multiple gene test results that can directly influence a choice of treatment. I think that it’s important to highlight two main categories, both within the genomic testing setting. Both of these test results have their major impact in patients with metastatic prostate cancer, whether the cancer has been treated already and is resistant to current treatments, or even some situations where the cancer has not even been treated.  

For metastatic prostate cancer, I think it’s important to assess whether the cancer has evidence of a BRCA1 or 2 mutation, or whether the cancer has evidence of a genetic feature called microsatellite instability, or MSI high. Cancers that have evidence of BRCA1 or 2 have clear benefit. Patients have clear benefit from treatment that targets those genes. And that’s a class of oral medications called PARP inhibitors, several of which are already FDA-approved for hormone-resistant metastatic prostate cancer with evidence of BRCA1 or 2 mutation.  

There are even newer clinical trials which are testing the use of those medicines at the outset of men who are initially diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, even naïve to treatment and testing whether we should be adding on PARP inhibitors for men with that genetic feature.  

Microsatellite instability, as well, leads to a clear FDA indication for immunotherapy with what we call checkpoint inhibitors that target and reinvigorate the body’s immune system. We know that prostate cancers with that particular genetic feature, which unfortunately is still an uncommon type of prostate cancer – but when it happens, it’s important to know about it because those immunotherapies can have truly life-changing, truly very long lasting, in the order of years, benefit to keeping that cancer to an undetectable level. Now, I would say, those are the key genomic features that directly translate to changes in treatment.  

There are other biomarkers, one we haven’t talked about which is very impactful, which is levels of PSMA expression on a PET scan. So, we talked about that in the setting of making a diagnosis, but it also is important for dictating best treatment. So, we now know, based on the results of a large Phase III trial that patients with prostate cancers that have PSMA uptake on PET imaging, which is an imaging biomarker, not a genetic biomarker, but an imaging biomarker.  

Those patients respond quite well to lutetium PSMA, which is a radioligand therapy that targets PSMA-producing prostate cancers. And so, those are examples of, I think, very impactful biomarkers that patients need to know about, so that they can ask their physicians to get tested to see if they’re candidates for those potential treatments.  

So, the genetic tests can be done either on biopsy material or on blood. And the latter has really been a major advance because we’ve been able to identify patients who are eligible without exposing them to an additional fresh biopsy. Sometimes, we need to because sometimes the blood does not have sufficient material to be able to establish the diagnosis. But still, it is often worth trying because, of course, we would try to do anything to avoid undergoing a risky procedure, and this is an example of that. In order to assess hereditary genetic risk, that can be done from a saliva sample. So, often, a cheek swab is enough, but testing for that is often pretty standard as well. So, that’s another option.  

So, in order to assess PSMA expression, which lends itself directly to the use of lutetium PSMA, that’s the straightforward PET scan. It’s now something that is readily available at the vast majority of academic centers and in the community as well. 

How Do Biomarker Test Results Impact a Prostate Cancer Patient’s Prognosis?

How Do Biomarker Test Results Impact a Prostate Cancer Patient’s Prognosis? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

How can a prostate cancer patient’s prognosis be impacted by biomarker test results? Dr. David Wise shares insight about biomarkers that are important in determining higher risk prostate cancer.

Dr. David Wise is Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health. Learn more about Dr. Wise.

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Transcript:

Dr. David Wise:

Great question. So, every biomarker needs to be considered independently.   

And whether it adds additional prognostic information to the other variables that we’ve already collected. And so, there are a few different biomarkers that we can discuss. I think that perhaps the most well-known, and in some sense very important one, is the one I mentioned before, which is the abnormal BRCA2 gene test results.  

So, patients who have that hereditary genetic mutation with BRCA2, we do have evidence that those cancers at diagnosis tend to have a higher Gleason score. They tend to be higher risk. Those cancers are still curable. Those cancers are still very treatable, but they tend to be less common in that low-risk category. So, we tend to be, at times, a bit more reluctant to manage patients with BRCA2 with surveillance alone, because their cancers typically need more intensive treatment.  

Prostate Cancer: What’s the Difference Between Hereditary and Biomarker Testing?

Prostate Cancer: What’s the Difference Between Hereditary and Biomarker Testing? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What’s the difference between hereditary testing and biomarker testing? Dr. David Wise explains how biomarker testing and hereditary testing differ – and discusses the impact and potential risks of some mutations.

Dr. David Wise is Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health. Learn more about Dr. Wise.

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Transcript:

Dr. David Wise:

That’s a great question. So, hereditary genetic testing is a test that looks specifically to establish whether a person is born with a gene that predisposed them to develop that cancer, and therefore has two clear implications.  

If the test result is abnormal, then the patient was born with that gene. Therefore, other family members, first-degree relatives, may also have that gene, and that may predispose those other family members to the same cancer or to other cancers. For example, BRCA2 can predispose to the prostate cancer that the patient that we’re discussing has, but it can also predispose to breast or ovarian cancer or pancreas cancer. And if the patient has an abnormal BRCA2 gene, then their first-degree relatives have a 50 percent chance of having that gene and being predisposed to cancer, not necessarily having a guaranteed development of that cancer, but having a higher risk of developing that cancer.  

So, it has implications for family member testing or what we call cascade testing, but it also has potential implications depending on the gene. And we’re looking for, even if it’s a hereditary gene, it can still have implications for how to best treat or monitor that patient’s cancer. And so, that’s the hereditary genetic testing. Now, biomarker testing is a broader umbrella term, and it just refers to any information or test result that we collect that gives us information about how that patient is going to respond to treatment, which means a predictive result. So, it tells us potentially which treatment might work better or worse or what we call a general prognostic information.  

So, information about that patient’s…the important things to what that person is worried about: How long they’re going to live, how well they’re going to respond to treatment, how aggressive their cancer is going to be. So, that’s biomarker testing. Now, what I think is particularly confusing – and maybe I’ll shed light on this – is: Well, what’s the difference between somatic genetic testing and hereditary genetic testing?  

So, somatic genetic testing is actually testing that is focused purely on what genes were mutated in the prostate that promoted the development of that cancer. Abnormal test results on that test are not directly related to hereditary risk. Just because a patient’s cancer has mutated gene X does not mean that their family member has a predisposition to develop to having that gene. They’re completely unrelated. So, really, patients should have both types of genetic testing.  

But there are specific criteria for which patient qualifies for which type of test, and that’s a detailed conversation that needs to happen between the physician and the patient. 

Essential Testing Following a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

Essential Testing Following a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What essential tests do prostate cancer patients need following a diagnosis? Dr. David Wise shares an overview of imaging, scans, and targeted testing to help guide an optimal care and treatment plan for each patient.

Dr. David Wise is Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health. Learn more about Dr. Wise.

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Transcript:

Dr. David Wise:

Sure. So, that’s a great question. The testing for prostate cancer really has advanced over the last decade. So, it’s very much standard, of course, for patients to have a biopsy to confirm evidence of prostate cancer. That biopsy will assess for the Gleason score, which gives us information about how abnormal those cells look under the microscope.  

It remains the most important feature for understanding the risk of the cancer and how intensive the treatment needs to be to treat that cancer. Of course, the PSA at the time of diagnosis is also useful for that assessment of risk. And the MRI is the third key feature that we look at, the MRI of the prostate, that is, which is often done before biopsy and often guides the biopsy for the urologists to make sure that they’re sampling the most concerning nodule within the prostate. And that MRI gives us information about the extent of the cancer, whether there had been any spread of the cancer, and the overall size of the prostate cancer mass. Now, over the past few years, there’s been some changes.  

So, patients with high risk or very high risk but nonmetastatic prostate cancer are often also imaged with something called PET scan, which is specific for prostate cancer looking at the levels of a protein called PSMA. And there are several brand names that will provide that imaging test through this PET imaging scan. That also gives us an even more accurate sense of the extent of the cancer, whether it has spread or not.  

And I think what’s really important is also thinking about the genetics of the cancer. And so, for patients with high-risk early-stage prostate cancer or metastatic prostate cancer and for patients with a significant family history or with an Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, we recommend hereditary genetic testing.  

And that needs to be distinguished from testing of the tumor itself or testing of the DNA derived from the tumor, which is called somatic testing. And it is not a hereditary test, but it’s a test that actually gives us information about the genes that are mutated and promoted at the development of that cancer. And that somatic testing is important, but it’s really critical for men who have advanced prostate cancer, metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer, where we already have FDA-approved treatments that are tailored to the results of those gene test results.  

So, those are really the standard tests that we think about. There are some emerging tests I think that some oncologists will recommend, and some won’t. The most prominent of those is the Decipher genomic score. So, that’s a test that also uses RNA or a type of genetic information from the cancer that can be used to assess the risk.  

And in my experience, that gives sometimes complementary information and adds further, I would say, or sheds further light on the tests that we already have. And particularly for men with otherwise intermediate risk prostate cancer, sometimes, the Decipher test can give us some more clarity, but I don’t think it’s absolutely critical at this time to order that test. I think we usually get the information that we need from the test that we have. 

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