Prostate Cancer Targeted Therapy: Highlighting Advances in Precision Medicine and Rational Combination Approaches

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Biology and Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1712

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Urologic Surgery, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
2. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA 95616, USA
Interests: prostate cancer; AR pathway inhibition; PARP inhibitors; therapeutic response and resistance; drug-tolerant persister cancer cells

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The clinical landscape for advanced prostate cancer is rapidly changing. The field is quickly moving toward a targeted paradigm, where individualized patient tumor characteristics will guide treatment decisions, leading to tailored, improved outcomes. Current progress toward the promise of precision medicine for prostate cancer includes PARP inhibitor use for the treatment of tumors with DNA repair defects, pembrolizumab (PD-1 inhibitor) for MMR defective tumors, and the recent approval of 177Lu-PSMA-617 (Pluvicto) for PSMA-positive mCRPC. Rational combinations of new and available therapies are also improving patient management. Notably, our evolving understanding of AR pathway inhibitors and PARP inhibition has led to the approval of combinations of these agents. As our understanding of prostate cancer molecular characteristics, use of biomarkers for patient stratification, and drug synergies improves, new approaches are expected to continue to revolutionize how we treat this disease. In this Special Issue, we seek to highlight cutting-edge research advances working to promote and incorporate the use of targeted and rational approaches for advanced and intractable prostate cancer. Studies detailing basic, translational, and clinical work to advance targeted and rational combination strategies are highly encouraged. Work to develop, understand, and incorporate clinical biomarkers to better stratify patients for treatment are also welcomed. Additionally, reviews summarizing different aspects of targeted therapy for prostate cancer and current clinical findings and perspectives will be warmly accepted for review. We express our warmest thanks for considering this opportunity to highlight the latest research in treating advanced prostate cancer.

Dr. Alan P. Lombard
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • prostate cancer
  • precision medicine
  • targeted therapeutics
  • rational drug combinations
  • clinical biomarkers

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 1195 KB  
Article
Long-Term Outcomes After High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy and Hypofractionated External Beam Radiotherapy in Very High-Risk Prostate Cancer: A 24-Year Follow-Up
by Pedro J. Prada Gómez, Ana L. Rivero Pérez, Joaquín Carballido Rodríguez, Javier Anchuelo Latorre, Rosa Fabregat Borrás, Marina Gutiérrez Ruiz, Cristina Rodríguez-Acosta Caballero, Carlos F. Carrascal Gordillo, Maria P. Galdós Barroso and Paola A. Navarrete Solano
Biomedicines 2025, 13(6), 1310; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13061310 - 27 May 2025
Viewed by 1307
Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the long-term oncological outcomes and toxicity profile based on 24 years of follow-up in patients with localized very high-risk prostate cancer (VHR PCa) treated with a combination of high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) and pelvic external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Methods [...] Read more.
Purpose: To evaluate the long-term oncological outcomes and toxicity profile based on 24 years of follow-up in patients with localized very high-risk prostate cancer (VHR PCa) treated with a combination of high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) and pelvic external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 87 patients with VHR PCa, classified according to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) criteria, who received HDR-BT and EBRT. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was administered to 72 patients (82.8%). The primary endpoints were biochemical control and cancer-specific survival (CSS), while the secondary endpoints included local control rates, tumor-free survival (TFS), overall survival (OS), and treatment-related toxicity. Results: The 24-year biochemical control rate was 68% (standard deviation [SD]: ±4%), while CSS and TFS at 24 years were 82% (SD ±4%) and 78% (SD ±4%), respectively. Local control rates remained at 98% at 24 years. Furthermore, the OS rate at 24 years was 30%. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified the T category in the TNM classification as the only factor significantly associated with biochemical control, with 24-year rates of 69%, 71%, and 50% for patients with T-classifications of ≤T2c, T3a, and T3b-T4, respectively (p = 0.024). Notably, no grade ≥3 late toxicities were observed during the follow-up period. Conclusions: The 24-year outcomes support the viability and therapeutic efficacy of EBRT combined with a conformal HDR-BT boost for patients with VHR PCa. Full article
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