Findings through a recent study reported that inherited cancer gene mutations were present in 8.2% of those with advanced or metastatic prostate cancer, which provides additional support to include this group of men in broader testing, particularly as targeted treatments based on inherited gene mutations becomes increasingly available.1 Another recent study suggested that those with a stronger family history of prostate cancer were more likely to present with more advanced prostate cancer, suggesting that familial or hereditary prostate cancer may be associated with a more aggressive disease.2 In view of these and other recent advances in the understanding about inherited prostate cancers, a group of experts convened to develop a consensus statement to guide the identification, management, and testing of men at risk for inherited prostate cancer.3 Overall, there was broad agreement for discussion of prostate cancer screening among BRCA2 carriers. Furthermore, there was moderate consensus that BRCA2 should be factored into management decisions from an early stage in the patient’s treatment, with stronger consensus that this is very important to consider among those with advanced or metastatic disease. Genetic testing for all men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer regardless of family history was also considered to be important to inform prognosis and targeted therapy, particularly for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, and possibly for the ATM gene.
1Thalgott et al. World J Urol. 2017 Nov 21. PMID:29164326.
2Giri et al. JCO Precision Oncology 2017 May 4;1, 1-17.
3Giri et al. J Clin Oncol. 2017 Dec 13. PMID:29236593.