Genetic testing in prostate cancer in clinical practice

Abstract

Mutations in DNA damage repair (DDR) genes are relatively common in prostate cancer (PC), and may guide therapy selection. Approximately half of somatic DDR mutations are also present in the germline and lead to a heritable cancer predisposition syndrome (CPS), which informs on future risk, prostate cancer prognosis, and therapeutic options. In germline carriers, genetic counselling is essential to help psychosocial coping and to provide pre-symptomatic testing in relatives, who upon carrier identification can opt for intensified surveillance or – in some cases – prophylactic surgery