Genomic test could refine prostate cancer treatment choices

New research from UCL suggests a genomic test could help determine which men with high-risk, non-spread prostate cancer benefit from additional hormone therapy, potentially sparing others from side effects like fatigue. Findings will be presented at a Madrid cancer conference on Saturday. The study analyzed Decipher test scores from a real-world dataset of 27,607 men and 401 participants in the STAMPEDE trial. Higher scores consistently predicted worse outcomes, with each 0.1 increase raising distant metastasis risk by a hazard ratio of 1.49 and prostate cancer death risk by 1.38. The test could personalize treatment, prioritizing intensive therapy for high-score patients while low-score men might avoid it. NHS England recently announced rolling out abiraterone for high-risk prostate cancer, and further validation is needed before routine clinical use.