Two Spaniards define prostate cancer treatment strategy

Although survival rates have doubled over the past 40 years, prostate cancer remains most common tumor in men – more than 30,000 new cases annually in Spain, according to the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology, and the third type, causing the largest number of deaths in patients of this sex – more than 6000-. The reason is that usuallye is detected in the early stages before it spreads and causes metastasesIn 5–10% of cases, these tumors are detected when there are already metastases or they are not amenable to conventional treatment.

Handling these people correctly is not an easy task. Metastatic prostate tumors vary greatly between patients., and this may cause them to respond very differently to treatment. That’s why It is critical to have new tools to better classify each patient’s tumor.and thus determine the best strategy for its treatment, which can only be achieved through research.

Better cancer treatment is not only about creating new treatments, but also improve strategies which are used to treat patients or individualize treatment choices.

Research at the cutting edge

The CRIS Cancer Foundation is holding has been promoting research for over ten years from two of the world’s largest leaders in prostate cancer research, Dr. David Olmos and Dr. Elena Castro, oncologists and researchers from the CRIS Cancer Foundation and University Hospital on October 12. They have recently made major contributions to Personalizing therapy for patients with high-risk prostate cancer.

In a paper published in one of the most important scientific journals in the field of cancer, Annals of Oncology, Dr. Olmos and Dr. Castro demonstrate that patients who have certain mutations in their DNA -in the cell’s mechanisms to restore DNA when it is damaged- They have a worse prognosis, relapse earlier, and respond less well to therapy than patients without these mutations. In addition, some specific mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes carry a particularly poor prognosis.

For this reason, the authors emphasize the vital importance of genetic testing for patients with refractory or metastatic prostate cancer. If these studies are conducted on a regular basis, they will allow us to identify patients at higher risk, better personalize therapy, and even identify patients who could participate in clinical trials that study new treatments.

Near new major contribution of these oncologists to the treatment of prostate cancer, who have been world leaders for many years in identifying treatment strategies for prostate cancer, especially those with the worst prognosis. Actually Five of his papers are considered so relevant that they are cited in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, the most commonly used clinical practice guidelines in the world. Another step towards personalizing treatment for patients with more complex prostate tumors.

Director of the CRIS Cancer Foundation Marta Cardonaemphasized “The importance of advances in prostate cancer research.” And it highlighted “public-private collaboration in providing resources for research and the fundamental role of civil society, which is engaged and committed to treating this disease by raising funds for science.”

And he added that “Steps like these help us make progress toward personalizing treatment for patients with more complex tumors.and they show that the only way to better treat cancer is through research.

The tumor silenced men

Prostate cancer is fifth most common tumor in the world, with more than 1.4 million cases and 375,000 deaths reported annually. In Spain, almost 31,000 cases will be diagnosed this year – most often in men – and more than 6,000 deaths will be recorded. Thus, prostate cancer is a public health problem of the greatest magnitude.

Although prostate cancer can be effectively treated in most cases, it poses a number of challenges that require the coordinated efforts of researchers to solve. Although in most cases it can be cured. Some cases are very aggressive from the start, while others do not respond to conventional treatment.

Fortunately, Significant progress has been made in recent years which have led to the approval of new drugs for advanced disease that prolong the lives of these patients and improve their quality of life.

Gradually, metastatic prostate cancer becomes chronic, but There are still patients who do not respond to therapy, and we still do not have markers or prognostic factors to know which patients will benefit and which will not. For these patients, the only option is research to find new and better treatments.

Strategies Immunotherapy, while showing excellent results in other tumors, has not yet shown much effectiveness in prostate cancer., although studies have observed patients who respond to these treatments. Therefore, it is critical to develop methods to identify characteristics of patients who respond to treatment. Research is key to finding solutions to cancer treatment.

Early detection and investigation

The number of diagnosed cancers is increasing for various reasons: population growth, increase in life expectancy and bad habits (alcohol, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, pollution, obesity). If early detection programs are implemented and investment in research is increased, perhaps this upward curve can be controlled.

To do this, at the CRIS Cancer Foundation, we are reaching out to men to break the silence about prostate cancer. make the disease visible and normalize it by breaking the taboo on diagnostic tests: rectal examination, PSA blood test and biopsy depending on the results.

In the case of prostate cancer, the underlying factors are age, ethnic race and family genetics. And it should be noted that cancer does not always show its face by showing symptoms, which is why regular examinations are so important.
Only through research can effective cancer treatments be achieved. The CRIS Cancer Foundation funds, supports and promotes the best researchers both nationally and internationally.

CRIS Research Projects

The CRIS Cancer Foundation understands these issues very clearly and that is why, since its inception, it has been committed to supporting various projects aimed at fighting prostate cancer using different approaches to combat it throughout the world.

This strategy includes two main branches:

● 6 prostate cancer projects that address key issues in prostate cancer at different stages: from tumor cell emergence to metastasis, including treatment resistance.
● CRIS project on prostate cancer at the University Hospital on October 12 in Madrid.
● CRIS project on the evolution of prostate cancer at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology in Barcelona.
● CRIS project on prostate cancer metastases at CIC Biogune in Bilbao.
● CRIS project on immunotherapy for prostate cancer at the Hospital de la Princesa in Madrid.
● CRIS project on prostate cancer resistance at CIC Biogune in Bilbao.
● CRIS project on the microenvironment of prostate cancer at the University of the Basque Country.
● International collaboration with the Prostate Cancer Foundation to identify the best prostate cancer researchers in Europe and promote their transformative projects, strengthen the international CRIS strategy and create a CRIS network of outstanding researchers.

The CRIS Cancer Foundation has According to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the world’s largest prostate cancer research institute., to reward leading prostate researchers in European countries. CRIS contributes to the funding of these awards by contributing 50% of the $75,000 annually. The aim is to promote prostate cancer research in Europe, strengthen the international CRIS strategy and create a network of prestigious CRIS researchers. And all this with the support of a world-renowned institution like PCF.