Highlights
- Germline-based approach enabling effective patient stratification at the key clinical decision points in prostate cancer
- Provides a sensitive diagnostic tool for use in patient management after radical prostatectomy
- Overcomes the limitations of the standard of care somatic tests, as presence of an obvious tumour not required
- Enables more frequent follow-up and monitoring, and earlier intervention
The opportunity
Radical prostatectomy is the default primary treatment for patients diagnosed with clinically localised prostate cancer. However, radical prostatectomy fails in 30% patients, presenting biochemical recurrence. Effective management of patients after radical prostatectomy is logistically complex, and a more sensitive diagnostic tool is needed.
The research team have developed a germline-based approach which can enable effective patient stratification at the key clinical decision points. Germline testing can be done without any obvious tumour being present, so it can overcome the limitations of the standard of care somatic tests. This diagnostic test will use rare germline variants to predict time to biochemical recurrence (BCR) after prostatectomy.
Identifying patients more likely to relapse post-radical prostatectomy will enable:
- Adapting the clinical treatment plan to comprise more radical treatment
- Earlier intervention / radiotherapy
- More frequent follow-up and monitoring
The germline panel has been derived using whole-genome sequencing data of blood DNA from 850 prostate cancer patients with radical treatment from the Pan Prostate Cancer Group (PPCG), validated with 383 patient samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset, and further validation is ongoing.
The optimised germline panel will be applied following local treatment with curative intent (post radiotherapy or post radical prostatectomy), with the potential to help 30% of patients get the right intervention at the right time.
Technology developed by world leading experts in prostate cancer oncogenetics with funding from Cancer Research UK: Prof. Rosalind Eeles and Dr. Zsofia Kote-Jarai (Institute of Cancer Research).
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