PTEN in Metastatic Prostate Cancer-ONCOLOGY UNBRANDED PTEN Prostate Cancer Webinar Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. Marilyn Bui introduced a special session on PTEN in metastatic prostate cancer, co-moderated with Dr. Jesserlyn Dillon and featuring Dr. Koren. Dr. Koren explained that PTEN is an emerging biomarker with important prognostic and predictive value in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. PTEN loss is associated with worse biochemical progression, shorter overall survival, and poorer response to androgen deprivation therapy.<br /><br />He reviewed the biology of PTEN as a negative regulator of the PI3K/AKT pathway and emphasized that PTEN abnormalities are especially common in metastatic prostate cancer. He argued that immunohistochemistry (IHC) is highly relevant because many PTEN alterations—such as homozygous deletions and truncating mutations—can be detected by IHC, while some abnormalities may be missed by next-generation sequencing (NGS), and vice versa. Therefore, the best approach is to combine PTEN IHC with comprehensive genomic profiling.<br /><br />Dr. Koren also covered interpretation standards for PTEN IHC, noting that PTEN deficiency is typically defined as greater than 90% loss in viable tumor cells, with careful attention to internal controls and pre-analytic variables. He concluded by stressing the central role of pathologists in biomarker testing, reporting, tissue stewardship, and multidisciplinary tumor boards to ensure patients receive the most appropriate treatment.

Keywords

PTEN

metastatic prostate cancer

biomarker

immunohistochemistry

PI3K/AKT pathway

androgen deprivation therapy

genomic profiling

pathology