Guillaume Grisay, Medical Oncologist at CHU HELORA, shared on LinkedIn:
“About 1 in 10 men with metastatic prostate cancer carries a mutation in a DNA repair gene, most often BRCA2.
That was the core message of the talk I had the chance to give this week at EMUC26 in Brussels, on genetic testing in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).
Why test at that stage rather than later?
- For the patient: the result can now shape first-line treatment, as PARP inhibitor–based strategies move into the hormone-sensitive setting.
- For the family: a BRCA variant also matters for family members as they can potentially inherit genetic risks of breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancer. Cascade testing can change their surveillance.
- For timing: if we wait for castration resistance, some men are simply never tested.
Working as both a medical oncologist and an oncogeneticist, I see both ends of this story: the man in front of me in clinic, and sometimes, years later, his relatives in the genetics consultation. That’s why this topic is personal to me.
Test early. Offer it to every man with metastatic disease. And don’t forget the family!”
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