Dr. Burgess on Treatment Considerations for PARP Inhibitors in Prostate Cancer

Earle Burgess, MD, an associate professor of medicine at Levine Cancer Institute, Atrium Health, discusses treatment considerations for PARP inhibitor use in patients with prostate cancer.

Several factors must be considered when identifying patients who may be eligible for a PARP inhibitor. For instance, molecular findings like a germline or somatic gene aberration would qualify a patient for treatment based on current labels, Burgess says. However, it is important to understand from efficacy data that individual gene mutations may not mean equal efficacy with these agents, Burgess adds.

For example, patients with BRCA2 aberrations are more likely to benefit from a PARP inhibitor than those with ATM mutations, according to Burgess. There is likely to be variable efficacy across the different genes, which is important to consider when trying to determine when to use these agents and in which patients in practice, Burgess concludes.