Implementation of functional imaging and molecular diagnostics for patient-tailored treatment of prostate cancer.

With more than 9000 new cases annually, prostate cancer (PCa) accounts for approximately 30% al all cancer cases in Belgium and is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men. Treatment options of PCa and the success rate of intervention largely depend on the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. Since the implementation of routine PSA testing for detection of PCa, many of the diagnosed tumours are latent and clincially irrelevant thus presenting a risk of overtreatment and therefore a tremendous clinical dilemma as no effective predictive tests for disease progression are available. On the other hand, the rate of biochemical failure is significant notwithstanding locally aggressive therapy and a substantial number of patients will develop clinical metastatis disease or already present with occult (distant) metastases at the time of staging. Both situations emphasize the need for reliable criteria and methods for treatment decision. The aim of this project is to translate novel molecular findings on PCa biology into clinical practice by implementing functional imaging techniques (non-invasive) and evaluating novel molecular diagnostic tools (invasive) with the ultimate goals to better predict prognosis and therapeutic responses for PCa patients. Ultimately, this will improve the selection of the optimal treatment for specific patient groups, enabling a more patient-tailored treatment. Moreover, this will lead to reduced overtreatment and thereby avoidance of high costs and possible treatment-related side-effects.

Keywords:Molecular diagnostics, Prostate, Cancer, Diagnosis, Imaging, Therapy response, Cancer markers

Disciplines:Laboratory medicine, Palliative care and end-of-life care, Regenerative medicine, Other basic sciences, Other health sciences, Nursing, Other paramedical sciences, Other translational sciences, Other medical and health sciences