Dr. Scher on Circulating Tumor Cells in Prostate Cancer

Howard I. Scher, MD, chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, lead author of the COU-AA-301 that examined abiraterone acetate for metastatic prostate cancer and prospectively investigated circulating tumor cell (CTC) enumeration as an efficacy response biomarker of overall survival (OS).

Scher says in his practice he checks the CTC levels as an indicator of response. CTC levels can be used as a tool for monitoring a patient's response to therapy. Scher recommends using CTC levels rather than PSA testing, which can be misleading in some cases. Additionally, interpreting bone scans can be difficult, whereas measuring CTC seems to be a more accurate indicator of response.