How Precision Medicine Evolved to Help Prostate Cancer Management

Today, thanks to precision medicine, prostate cancer care has become more personalized. Instead of a“one-size-fits-all” approach, doctors can now look at the unique genetic makeup of a patient’s tumor to find the treatment that works best for them.

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What Precision Medicine Means for Patients

Precision medicine focuses on the individual characteristics of each patient and their cancer.By testing the genomic alterations in a tumor through advanced methods such as Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), doctors can:

• Find out which treatments are most likely to work.
• Avoid side effects from therapies that won’t help.
• Monitor the outcome of current treatment over time.
•  Discover hereditary risks that might also affect family members².

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How Prostate Cancer Treatment Has Evolved

1.      From Hormone Therapy to More Options
In the past, many patients were treated with hormone therapy (androgendeprivation therapy, or ADT). This usually worked at first, but over time, the cancer often became resistant. Precision medicine has helped researchers understand why resistance develops, opening new paths for treatment³.

2.      Genetic Discoveries That Make a Difference
Scientists have learned that some prostate cancers carry changes in importantgenes, such as BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, or other HRR (homologous recombinationrepair) genes. Knowing this information allows doctors to consider targeted treatments⁴⁵.

3.      New Therapies Guided by Biomarkers

• PARP inhibitors can help menwhose tumors have BRCA1/2 mutations or HRR gene mutations⁶.
• Immunotherapy is an optionfor patients with MSI-H or dMMR tumors⁷.
• NGS testing gives acomplete overview of genomic profiling, helping connect patients with the most effective therapies and even clinical trials⁸.o  

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Why This Matters for Patients and Families?

Formen diagnosed with prostate cancer, precision medicine offers more than just treatment choices:

• Better chances of success: Treatments are matched to the tumor’s genetic profile.
• Peace of mind: Patients canavoid unnecessary side effects from treatments unlikely to help.
• Family health awareness: Ifhereditary mutations are found, relatives can also get tested and take preventivesteps⁹.
• Hope for the future: Access toinnovative drugs and clinical trials that weren’t available before.   

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How ACT Genomics Supports Patients

At ACTGenomics, we are dedicated to turning complex genetic data into clear, actionable answers for patients and their doctors. With ouradvanced NGStesting and expert medical interpretation, we help prostatecancer patients by:

• Identifying genetic changes that may guide treatment.
• Connecting patients with potential new therapies or clinicaltrials.
• Supporting ongoing monitoring to detect changes or resistance.
• Providing reliable information that helps families make informed choices.

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Looking Ahead

As research continues, precision medicine will play an even bigger role inprostate cancer management. More targeted therapies are being developed, andmore patients will benefit from personalized care that improves both survivaland quality of life.

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Conclusion

The journey of prostate cancer care has changed dramatically—from standard treatments for all, to personalized strategies guided by cancer genomics.For patients, this means more hope, more choices, and treatments that are trulytailored to their unique cancer.

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References

1. Taiwan HPA research: https://www.hpa.gov.tw/Pages/Detail.aspx?nodeid=4809&pid=18699
2. National Cancer Institute. Geneticsof Prostate Cancer (PDQ®)–Patient Version. Updated 2025. Availableat: https://www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/hp/prostate-genetics-pdq
3. Harris WP,Mostaghel EA, Nelson PS, Montgomery B. Androgen deprivation therapy: Progressin understanding mechanisms of resistance and optimizing androgen depletion. Nat ClinPract Urol. 2009;6(2):76-85.
4. Pritchard CC,Mateo J, Walsh MF, et al. Inherited DNA-Repair Gene Mutations in Men withMetastatic Prostate Cancer. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(5):443-453.
5. Robinson D,Van Allen EM, Wu Y-M, et al. Integrative Clinical Genomics of Advanced ProstateCancer. Cell.2015;161(5):1215-1228.
6. de Bono J,Mateo J, Fizazi K, et al. Olaparib for Metastatic Castration-Resistant ProstateCancer. NEngl J Med. 2020;382(22):2091-2102.
7. Abida W,Cheng ML, Armenia J, et al. Microsatellite instability in prostate cancer andresponse to immune checkpoint blockade. J Clin Oncol. 2019;37(15_suppl):5023.
8. Mateo J,Porta N, Bianchini D, et al. Sequencing technologies and liquid biopsies inadvanced prostate cancer. Eur Urol Oncol. 2020;3(3):235-241.
9. NationalComprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, andPancreatic. Version 3.2025.

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