NCCN Guidelines for Genetic Testing in Prostate Cancer

Emmanuel S. Antonarakis, MBBCh, an associate professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, discussed updated National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for the genetic testing of men with prostate cancer.

Germline testing, which looks for inherited gene mutations, and somatic testing, which examines the genetic makeup of the tumor itself, can be useful in making therapy decisions. According to the NCCN, every patient with metastatic or high-risk localized non-metastatic prostate cancer should undergo germline testing. Additionally, men with lymph node metastases or distant metastases should undergo genetic testing.