Ericka Bagi, BSN, RN

Ericka Bagi, BSN, RN, discusses diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in prostate cancer, emphasizing their pivotal role in guiding personalized treatment decisions and improving patient outcomes.
Bagi analyzes biomarker tests, such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and its derivatives, PSA density, and PSA velocity. Further, she discusses biomarkers such as the Gleason score, genomic classifiers (e.g., Oncotype DX, Prolaris), and molecular markers (e.g., TMPRSS2-ERG fusion). Information from these tests is instrumental in tailoring treatment plans to individual patient profiles, optimizing therapeutic strategies, and minimizing unnecessary interventions for low-risk patients.
Novel biomarkers, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs), exosome-based markers, and genetic mutations (e.g., BRCA mutations), hold promise for further refining risk assessment and treatment selection. These biomarkers provide complementary information to traditional clinical and imaging evaluations, enabling a comprehensive understanding of disease biology and response to therapy.
Ericka Bagi underscores the importance of integrating biomarker testing into routine clinical practice to enhance diagnostic accuracy, prognostic certainty, and therapeutic efficacy in prostate cancer management. Standardized protocols for biomarker assessment and interpretation ensure consistency across healthcare settings, facilitating evidence-based decision-making and improving patient care outcomes.