Dr. Rob Bristow (Princess Margaret Hospital) and Dr. Paul Boutros (Ontario Institute for Cancer Research) have teamed up to create a new quick and accurate “genetic signature” test for prostate cancer patients. Their research, funded in part by Prostate Cancer Canada, was recently of presented at the recent European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTROS) conference. It will help determine which patients are more likely to have their cancer recur and need additional treatment. The goal is to make “genetic signature” testing an important tool to better target appropriate treatment options according to the genetics of the patient.
The Journal of Clinical Cancer Research has published the latest findings from PCC Rising Star Eric Levesque. This study looked at 526 men and combined two types of genetic markers to determine which men had an increased risk of prostate cancer progression. In the future, this information could help stratify patients to help make treatment decisions.
Tarek Bismar’s Calgary group has looked at the way CRISP3 proteins are expressed to determine their association with prostate cancer progression. Published in the Journal of Hematology & Oncology, this study has confirmed the link between CRISP3 expression and poor clinical outcome. Further studies with related genes may also help patients make treatment decisions.
Team Grant recipient Ralph Buttyan has been featured in the Spring 2014 issue of Vancouver’s Monte Cristo magazine. Buttyan describes his research in how prostate cancer cells outsmart treatment, and how his team is working on different approaches to better treat cancer to extend the lives of affected men.