Dr. Lin on the Role of Genomic Markers in Prostate Cancer

Daniel W. Lin, MD, professor, Department of Urology, chief, Urologic Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine, associate professor, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and physician, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, discusses the role of genomic markers in prostate cancer. 

The field of genomic classifiers is broad and continuously expanding, Lin says.

Germline markers are inherited mutations, explains Lin. Conversely, somatic markers are present in the tumor tissue.

The field is now incorporating markers in circulating tumor DNA and cell-free DNA to further expand the capacities of genomic classification, Lin says.

At the 27th Annual Prostate Cancer Foundation Virtual Scientific Retreat, Lin participated in a debate regarding the utility of prostate cancer genomic classifiers with Daniel Spratt, MD. The debate focused on tissue-based markers that are present in earlier-stage disease compared with late-stage disease, concludes Lin.