Leonard G. Gomella, MD, FACS, presented “Update: Studies Combining Secondary Biomarkers and MRI” during the 35th International Prostate Cancer Update conference on February 9, 2025, in Vail, Colorado.
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How to cite: Gomella, Leonard G. “Update: Studies Combining Secondary Biomarkers and MRI.” February 9, 2025. Accessed Apr 2025. https://grandroundsinurology.com/studies-combining-secondary-biomarkers-and-mri/
Update: Studies Combining Secondary Biomarkers and MRI – Summary
Leonard G. Gomella, MD, FACS, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, presents a comprehensive overview of combining secondary biomarkers with MRI. In this 15-minute presentation, Dr. Gomella emphasizes the need to reduce diagnoses of clinically insignificant prostate cancer while improving the identification of clinically significant cases.
Dr. Gomella identifies multiparametric MRI as a powerful tool in prostate cancer detection but highlights its limitations, particularly the risk of missing high-grade cancers. He underscores the potential for biomarkers to complement mpMRI by improving detection in cases with negative imaging. Citing studies such as PROMIS and PRECISION, he demonstrates that MRI alone may fail to identify certain significant cancers, creating opportunities for biomarker integration.
Dr. Gomella introduces key biomarkers like Select MDx and the 4Kscore, which have shown promise in enhancing diagnostic accuracy when combined with MRI. The ongoing ReIMAGINE trial aims to further explore the utility of combining these approaches in identifying significant prostate cancer cases.
Dr. Gomella highlights the economic implications, suggesting that biomarkers may offer a cost-effective alternative in specific clinical settings. He concludes that while multiparametric MRI remains a vital diagnostic tool, integrating biomarkers may significantly improve outcomes. He encourages further investigation into refining diagnostic pathways to enhance early detection strategies.
About the 35th International Prostate Cancer Update:
The International Prostate Cancer Update (IPCU), is a multi-day, CME-accredited conference focused on new developments in prostate cancer treatment, diagnosis, and prevention. IPCU 35 will feature lectures, interactive discussions, panel roundtables, debates, and case reports. This conference is led by expert physicians and is designed for urologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and other healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.
The goal of this educational program is to equip healthcare professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer with the up-to-date clinical knowledge and tools they need to best treat their patients. The program will discuss the treatment of prostate cancer from diagnosis to treating advanced and metastatic disease. The conference aims to give physicians exposure to a comprehensive review of treating prostate cancer patients and to give them a chance to discuss the issues with peers and experts. You can learn more about the conference here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leonard G. Gomella, MD, FACS, is the Bernard W. Godwin, Jr. Professor of Prostate Cancer and chair of the department of urology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he also serves as senior director for clinical affairs. Originally from New York, Dr. Gomella completed medical school and general surgery and urology training at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. After a urologic oncology fellowship in the surgery branch of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, he joined Thomas Jefferson University in 1988 and was appointed chair of the urology department in 2002. From 1998 until 2020 he was urology chair for the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) (now NRG Oncology) and from 2008 until 2019 he was clinical director of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Network.
Dr. Gomella is involved in translational basic science and clinical research developing new diagnostic tests and treatments for prostate, bladder, and kidney cancer through the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center where he has co-led the Biology of Prostate Cancer Program. Dr. Gomella's team was first to use molecular techniques (RT-PCR) in 1992 to detect circulating prostate cancer micrometastases, the first report of “liquid biopsy,” a discovery that led to a new field of investigation in this disease. Dr. Gomella is also recognized for developing the multidisciplinary clinic approach to prostate cancer and was an early contributor to urologic laparoscopy. He led the urology effort in the 2017 and 2019 Philadelphia Prostate Cancer International Consensus that provided the first multidisciplinary guidance on genetic testing for prostate cancer.
Dr. Gomella has given over 600 presentations nationally and internationally and written over 600 papers, chapters and monographs in urology. He has authored and edited 63 editions of 17 different books for medical students, residents, and practicing physicians, many of which have been translated into foreign languages. Dr. Gomella has consistently earned recognition for urologic oncology and prostate cancer, including a 2015 national recognition in Newsweek. In 2007, Men’s Health Magazine listed Dr. Gomella as one of the 20 top urologists in the US. Among other awards, in 2018 the Society of Urologic Oncology presented him with a “Distinguished Service Award.” In 2019, Dr. Gomella was named Enterprise Urology Vice President for Jefferson Health. Additionally, the American Urological Association (AUA) awarded him “Honorary Membership” status in 2023 in recognition for his contributions and leadership in urologic oncology. Dr. Gomella has been president of the Mid-Atlantic section of the AUA and elected to the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons and the prestigious Clinical Society of Genitourinary Surgeons.
