Mohammad O. Ramadan, MD, discusses the importance of genetic testing for prostate cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment. He notes that there is currently a professional practice gap in this area, even as genetic testing becomes more widely available. Studies suggest that approximately 17% of prostate cancer patients are biomarker positive, and therefore may benefit more than other patients from treatments like PARP inhibitors. Research like this has led the NCCN to recommend germline genetic testing for all men with high-risk, very-high-risk, regional, or metastatic prostate cancer. With this guideline in place, urologists will have to quickly figure out how to provide widespread testing, and may have to partner with geneticists.
