Dhyan Chandra, PhD, associate professor of oncology, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, member, PhD Program in Cancer Sciences, Experimental Therapeutics Track, member, Developmental Therapeutics of Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant Program, member, Breast, Lung, Genitourinary, and Gastrointestinal Translational Research Groups, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the need for resources to evaluate racial disparities in prostate cancer.

There is growing interest in combatting racial disparities in prostate cancer; however, resources for research are limited, Chandra explains. If more resources were available to researchers, preclinical findings that have emerged from laboratories, such as Dr Chandra’s on the relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and response to prostate cancer therapies, could be expanded upon, Chandra says. 

Although more resources are available now compared with in the past, significant research is needed to determine some of the racial differences between patients with prostate cancer. Moreover, data from Caucasian patients can inform disparities in all races because the may have similar baseline patient characteristics as other populations, like African Americans, Chandra concludes. 

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Dhyan Chandra, PhD, discusses the need for resources to evaluate racial disparities in prostate cancer.  



Dr. Chandra on the Need for Resources to Evaluate Racial Disparities in Prostate Cancer 

Dhyan Chandra, PhD, associate professor of oncology, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, member, PhD Program in Cancer Sciences, Experimental Therapeutics Track, member, Developmental Therapeutics of Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant Program, member, Breast, Lung, Genitourinary, and Gastrointestinal Translational Research Groups, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses evaluating biological differences between African American and Caucasian men with prostate cancer.

Significant progress has been made in addressing racial disparities in prostate cancer, particularly regarding molecular differences, Chandra explains. However, as it is known that differences in prostate cancer are multifactorial, research evaluating biological differences was needed. 

Recently, Dr Chandra received a 2-year grant from the American Cancer Society to evaluate cytochrome 

 deficiency in African American men. Cytochrome 

 is a mitochondrial protein that is less prevalent in African American men and limits the efficacy of standard prostate cancer therapies, Chandra explains. Cytochrome 

 has 2 functions: ATP production and apoptosis. Increasing the production of cytochrome 

 in these patients may effectively kill cancer cells and begin to bridge racial disparities in this disease, Chandra concludes. 

Dhyan Chandra, PhD, discusses evaluating biological differences between African American and Caucasian men with prostate cancer.  



Dr. Chandra on Evaluating Biological Differences in African Americans With Prostate Cancer 

Dhyan Chandra, PhD, associate professor of oncology, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, member, PhD Program in Cancer Sciences, Experimental Therapeutics Track, member, Developmental Therapeutics of Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant Program, member, Breast, Lung, Genitourinary, and Gastrointestinal Translational Research Groups, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the potential to assess mitochondrial function to inform outcomes in prostate cancer.

The field of prostate cancer is making efforts to bridge racial disparities among patients, Chandra says. For example, Dr Chandra received a 2-year grant from the American Cancer Society to study cytochrome 

 deficiency in African American men, who have a lack of mitochondrial function.

Understanding the role of mitochondrial function based on cytochrome 

 levels in patients with prostate cancer, regardless of race, is needed, Chandra explains. In the clinical setting, performing blood tests for patients with prostate cancer to determine their cytochrome 

 levels may be helpful in informing whether they are likely to respond to available therapy. Moreover, this may be a simple step that can be taken for all patients with prostate cancer to begin to bridge racial disparities in the field, Chandra concludes.

Dhyan Chandra, PhD, discusses the potential to assess mitochondrial function to inform outcomes in prostate cancer.  



Dhyan Chandra, PhD

Articles

Dr. Chandra on the Need for Resources to Evaluate Racial Disparities in Prostate Cancer

Dr. Chandra on Evaluating Biological Differences in African Americans With Prostate Cancer

Dr. Chandra on Assessing Mitochondrial Function to Inform Outcomes in Prostate Cancer