Dr. Den Discusses the Future of Prostate Cancer Research

Robert B. Den, MD, associate professor of radiation oncology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, discusses the future of prostate cancer research.

The field of prostate cancer has gone through an explosion within the last 5 to 10 years with the FDA approvals of multiple agents. These agents have shown activity in late-stage disease, and subsequent trials have begun to show activity in earlier-stage disease, Den says. This has garnered a lot of hope for the treatment of patients with prostate cancer, as these agents are now proven to be active earlier in the disease state, and may increase survival.

Den says that these advances have led more people to become actively involved in prostate cancer research. DNA-damaging agents, such as PARP inhibitors and DNA-PK inhibitors, are being investigated, and phase II trials have shown that selecting patients by mutation may ensure benefit. This is a new area of prostate cancer research that will soon be manifested in clinical benefit for patients, Den concludes.