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Microarray-based Identification of Individual HERV Loci Expression: Application to Biomarker Discovery in Prostate Cancer

Microarray-based Identification of Individual HERV Loci Expression: Application to Biomarker Discovery in Prostate Cancer

Published on: November 2, 2013

Precision medicine for advanced prostate cancer

Stephanie A Mullane¹, Eliezer M Van Allen

¹aDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston bCancer Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge cCenter for Cancer Precision Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Current Opinion in Urology

|February 25, 2016

Abstract

Purpose Of Review:

Precision cancer medicine, the use of genomic profiling of patient tumors at the point-of-care to inform treatment decisions, is rapidly changing treatment strategies across cancer types. Precision medicine for advanced prostate cancer may identify new treatment strategies and change clinical practice. In this review, we discuss the potential and challenges of precision medicine in advanced prostate cancer.

Recent Findings:

Although primary prostate cancers do not harbor highly recurrent targetable genomic alterations, recent reports on the genomics of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer has shown multiple targetable alterations in castration-resistant prostate cancer metastatic biopsies. Therapeutic implications include targeting prevalent DNA repair pathway alterations with PARP-1 inhibition in genomically defined subsets of patients, among other genomically stratified targets. In addition, multiple recent efforts have demonstrated the promise of liquid tumor profiling (e.g., profiling circulating tumor cells or cell-free tumor DNA) and highlighted the necessary steps to scale these approaches in prostate cancer.

Summary:

Although still in the initial phase of precision medicine for prostate cancer, there is extraordinary potential for clinical impact. Efforts to overcome current scientific and clinical barriers will enable widespread use of precision medicine approaches for advanced prostate cancer patients.

Insights

Precision medicine for advanced prostate cancer, using genomic profiling, offers new treatment strategies. Overcoming challenges will enable its widespread clinical use for better patient outcomes.

Area of Science:

Oncology
Genomics
Precision Medicine

Background:

Precision cancer medicine is revolutionizing cancer treatment by utilizing genomic profiling.
Advanced prostate cancer management can benefit from tailored therapeutic strategies.
Genomic profiling of tumors guides treatment decisions at the point-of-care.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the potential and challenges of precision medicine in advanced prostate cancer.
To explore how genomic profiling can inform treatment strategies for prostate cancer patients.
To discuss the current landscape and future directions of precision oncology in prostate cancer.

Main Methods:

Review of recent scientific literature on prostate cancer genomics.
Analysis of genomic alterations in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
Evaluation of liquid tumor profiling techniques, including circulating tumor cells and cell-free tumor DNA.

Main Results:

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer exhibits targetable genomic alterations.
PARP-1 inhibition is a potential therapeutic strategy for specific genomic alterations in DNA repair pathways.
Liquid tumor profiling shows promise for non-invasive cancer assessment in prostate cancer.

Conclusions:

Precision medicine holds significant potential for impacting advanced prostate cancer care.
Addressing scientific and clinical barriers is crucial for the widespread adoption of precision medicine.
Genomic stratification and targeted therapies are key to advancing prostate cancer treatment.

Read full analysis

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