Using Genetic Testing in Prostate Cancer: When and How
Alan H. Bryce, MD, delves into the critical role of genetic testing in prostate cancer management.
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City of Hope
Prostate Cancer Survivorship
Humberto Villareal, MD, MSCI, provides an overview of prostate cancer survivorship, emphasizing its prevalence and the importance of comprehensive care post-treatment.
Key points in this 9-minute presentation include the challenges of discussing treatment options with patients, particularly regarding the immediate and long-term effects of different therapies. Survivorship care plans are vital, providing structured guidelines for monitoring recurrence and addressing adverse treatment effects. Villareal stresses that these plans ideally involve a multidisciplinary approach, integrating input from healthcare providers, mental health professionals, and caregivers with the patient at the center.
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Putting Germline Testing into Context: A Primer and Current Knowledge
Alan H. Bryce, MD, explores the critical role of germline testing in prostate cancer, providing a primer on its current applications. He emphasizes identifying these genetic markers for patient management and familial risk assessment.
The 9-minute presentation considers the most relevant genes associated with prostate cancer risk, including BRCA1, BRCA2, and ATM. Dr. Bryce also highlights data problems with germline variants, questioning the representation of diverse racial and ethnic groups in clinical trials.
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Functionalizing the Utility of @X/(Twitter) in Your Practice
Seth A. Cohen, MD, FACS, explores the role of social media, particularly X (formerly Twitter), in enhancing professional development for medical practitioners. In this 11-minute presentation, Cohen explains that X can be a powerful tool for physicians, offering opportunities for networking, research collaborations, patient education, community engagement, and increasing visibility for one’s specialty. He emphasizes that X is a “town square” for modern communication, allowing physicians to share knowledge, advocate for healthcare issues, and keep up to date with the latest research through journal handles and hashtags.
By curating relevant content and maintaining professionalism, physicians can maximize the potential of X while maintaining a work-life balance. The presentation encourages medical professionals to engage thoughtfully with social media to promote their work and foster greater connections in the field.
FGFR3 Inhibitors for Upper Tract Urothelial Cancer
E. David Crawford, MD, Professor of Urology at the University of California, San Diego, and Editor-in-Chief of Grand Rounds in Urology, interviews Sumanta Kumar Pal, MD, Clinical Professor in the Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research and Co-Director of the Kidney Cancer Program at City of Hope in Duarte, California, about his recent paper looking at FGFR3 inhibitors for treating upper tract urothelial cancer. Dr. Pal explains that upper tract urothelial cancer, which is both more rare and more aggressive than lower tract urothelial cancers, seems to be enriched in mutations in FGFR3, making FGFR3 inhibition a potentially good treatment for this disease state. While one such inhibitor, erdafitinib, is already approved for treating upper tract urothelial cancer, Dr. Pal suggests that a different inhibitor, infigratinib, has a profile that might lend itself better to clinical practice, with lower incidence of hyperphosphatemia and other side effects. He goes over the results of the initial phase 1 study of infigratinib, noting the 25% response rate and considering different biomarkers as indicators of response. Dr. Pal concludes by introducing the Proof 302 study, a phase 3 trial looking at infigratinib for upper tract urothelial cancer which he hopes urologists will consider signing eligible patients up for.
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