TEST:

ProMark™

Our analysis indicates a growing trend in the utilization of tissue-based genomic testing for PCa. Nevertheless, they are utilized in less than 2% of PCa patients, whether at initial diagnosis or after surgical treatment. Although it is anticipated that their use may increase as more scientific evidence becomes available, their role requires further elucidation.

Since prostate cancer is the mostprevalent neoplasm in men, it is mandatory to stratifypatients correctly to prevent unnecessary biopsiesand overtreatment in low risk patients, as well as designthe best strategy in those with high risk disease.Tissue biomarkers may become a useful tool in precisionmedicine to guide decision making.

"The current body of literature on this specific topic remains very limited; prospective trials with long-term follow-up are needed to improve our understanding on how these genomic tests fit when combined with our current clinical tools. As the literature matures, it is likely that newer risk calculators that combine our classic clinical variables with genomic and imaging data will be developed to bring about standard protocols for prostate cancer decision-making."

"In this article, we will review several of those more recent diagnostic markers (4Kscore®, [-2]proPSA and Prostate Health Index, SelectMDx®, ConfirmMDx®, Progensa® Prostate Cancer Antigen 3, Mi-Prostate Score, ExoDx™ Prostate Test, the Stockholm3 test and ERSPC risk calculators) and prognostic markers (OncotypeDX® Genomic Prostate Score, Prolaris®, Decipher® and ProMark®). We will also address some new liquid biopsy approaches - circulating tumour cells and cell-free DNA - with a potential role in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and will briefly give some future perspectives, mostly outlooking epigenetic markers."

Although these markers can help in improved risk stratification of patients eligible for AS, more prospective studies with head to head comparison between markers are needed to elucidate the true potential of these markers in AS.

New biomarkers open the avenue to avoid mpMRI with targeted biopsy in the future, thereby sparing risks and pitfalls associated with this approach. Before this utopia becomes reality, the panel of technologically complementary markers need to prove that they are better, cheaper and faster than current strategies.