Dr. Chandler Park helps sufferers with genitourinary most cancers perceive the significance of genetic testing: © fortunate – inventory.adobe.com
Genetic testing in genitourinary (GU) cancers is important for guiding focused therapies and precision drugs, in addition to assessing familial most cancers dangers and optimizing therapy regimens, as evidenced by knowledge shared on the 2025 Annual ASCO GU Symposium.
The significance of genetic testing and precision drugs in prostate, bladder and kidney cancers is rising, in accordance with Dr. Chandler Park. He went on to emphasise that sufferers ought to talk about genetic testing with their oncologist to find out eligibility for focused therapies.
In an interview following the assembly, Park — a medical oncologist of Genitourinary Medical Oncology on the Norton Healthcare Institute, in Louisville, Kentucky — sat down with CURE® to debate his key takeaways from the assembly, together with medical trial updates in GU most cancers and what to learn about precision drugs.
CURE: What’s your key takeaway for sufferers primarily based on outcomes of the ASCO GU Symposium, and the way does it relate to genetic testing?
Park: One key [takeaway from the ASCO GU Symposium] is for sufferers which have prostate most cancers [or those with] household and family members [with prostate cancer]. It is very important [speak with] your oncologist. I assist out on the medical faculties, and I can sense that sure folks go into oncology as a result of they love folks, and [these people] are open to suggestions. Due to this fact, I might extremely encourage that everytime you see an oncologist, when you’ve got a historical past of prostate most cancers within the household, ask for genetic testing — not simply germline testing, however somatic.
For sufferers with bladder most cancers, what would you need them to know in regards to the convention? Ought to in addition they concentrate on genetic testing?
Chatting with bladder most cancers, there was one other examine that was up to date, and that is one thing that each one sufferers and their members of the family ought to learn about, and that is referred to as the part 3 NIAGARA examine. That is one thing that is relevant at the moment. So, what is the NIAGRA examine? The NIAGRA examine evaluated sufferers by which we need to get a excessive treatment price. Beforehand, for sufferers that had cystectomy, the usual of care was chemotherapy, surgical procedure, after which afterwards was to observe adopted by consideration of immunotherapy, however there was no general survival.
Nevertheless, primarily based on the ASCO GU replace, if a affected person acquired chemotherapy with an immunotherapy referred to as Imfinzi (durvalumab), that they had a a lot larger probability that after surgical procedure, they’d stay cured. Everyone at the moment that has stage two bladder most cancers and acquired therapy earlier than the surgical procedure ought to ask their medical oncologist for chemotherapy and an immunotherapy. Then, after surgical procedure, perhaps even take into account immunotherapy afterwards. That is one thing I might encourage.
As a result of genetic testing and customized drugs ensures sufferers obtain the best and customized care, what’s the significance of frequently contemplating these approaches?
One of many issues about GU cancers is each affected person — whether or not you’ve got kidney most cancers, bladder most cancers or prostate most cancers — must be evaluated for precision drugs. That is one thing I might share with my sufferers and their members of the family: ask for precision drugs. For instance, as an example a affected person has kidney most cancers and so they have particular gene mutations, reminiscent of von Hippel Lindell (VHL) germline mutations. In the event that they do, I might take into account them for analysis by a genetic counselor to see if they’ve a situation referred to as von Hippel Lindell illness, and sooner or later, I might take into account them for therapy with a drugs referred to as Welireg [belzutifan]; that is a precision drugs now.
In bladder most cancers… there was an explosion of precision drugs. There are three highlights that I might discuss with any individual with bladder most cancers to talk with their oncologist about. First — particularly in stage 4 illness — do I’ve a gene mutation? Do I’ve a gene mutation referred to as FGFR3, as a result of in the event you do, you’ll be able to obtain a drugs referred to as Balversa [erdafitinib]. [This agent] has a powerful 40% to 45% response price and is healthier than chemotherapy. The second factor that is emerged within the final six months is asking your oncologist, when you’ve got a gene mutation referred to as HER2. HER2 is one thing that oncologists know when it comes to the breast most cancers world, but when a affected person has stage 4 bladder most cancers and so they have a HER2 gene mutation, there is a 60% to 65% probability that in the event that they obtain a drugs referred to as Enhertu [fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki], that it could work. I might ask if they’ve a HER2 gene mutation.
When it comes to prostate most cancers and precision drugs, we now have to test for BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, CDK12 [and others]. I might ask, when it comes to, while you see the oncologist, whether or not you’ve got prostate, kidney or bladder most cancers, ask that oncologist in regards to the function of precision drugs and the function of next-generation sequencing. This fashion, you might be or your member of the family is receiving precision drugs, which is the very best therapy for his or her particular most cancers.
Transcript has been edited for readability and conciseness.
For extra information on most cancers updates, analysis and schooling, don’t neglect to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters right here.
