Leonard G. Gomella, MD, presented “Utilizing ctDNA in Bladder Cancer” during the 24th Future Directions in Urology Symposium in August 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
How to cite: Gomella, Leonard G. “Utilizing ctDNA in Bladder Cancer.” August 2024. Accessed Dec 2024. https://grandroundsinurology.com/utilizing-ctdna-in-bladder-cancer/
Utilizing ctDNA in Bladder Cancer – Summary
Leonard G. Gomella, MD, FACS, explores the potential of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as biomarkers in cancer detection, treatment monitoring, and prognosis.
In this 12-minute presentation, Dr. Gomella reviews recent studies, such as those conducted at the European Association of Urology (EAU), demonstrating ctDNA’s potential for early detection, risk assessment, treatment response evaluation, and post-treatment surveillance in bladder cancer. Trials such as InVigor010 highlight ctDNA’s prognostic utility, where analysis revealed that ctDNA positivity predicted a higher risk of relapse.
Gomella reports that innovations extend to ctDNA detection in urine, offering a non-invasive method to monitor disease burden. These developments and the integration of advanced sequencing technologies mark a new era in cancer management, facilitating earlier interventions and more effective treatment planning.
The Future Directions in Urology Symposium (FDUS) is an annual urology think tank and non-CME educational summit that brings together industry figures and experts to discuss the current state of genitourinary care and define future directions in treatment. Dr. Dreicer delivered this educational activity during the 24th iteration of the meeting in August 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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.
